Empire State Realty Trust (NYSE:ESRT) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESRT) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $4.36 and last traded at $4.3950, with a volume of 2694137 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $4.39.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on ESRT shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Empire State Realty Trust from $6.00 to $5.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Empire State Realty Trust in a report on Friday, August 7th. Evercore set a $5.50 price target on Empire State Realty Trust in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Citigroup cut their price target on Empire State Realty Trust from $5.75 to $5.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Empire State Realty Trust from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Empire State Realty Trust currently has an average rating of “Sell” and an average price target of $5.17.

Empire State Realty Trust Stock Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $5.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $5.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $786.01 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 64.87 and a beta of 1.36.

Empire State Realty Trust (NYSE:ESRT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.15) earnings per share for the quarter. Empire State Realty Trust had a net margin of 0.93% and a return on equity of 0.40%. The firm had revenue of $196.90 million during the quarter. Empire State Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.750-0.790 EPS. Analysts forecast that Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. will post 0.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Empire State Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.035 per share. This represents a $0.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Empire State Realty Trust’s payout ratio is 200.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cohen & Steers Inc. lifted its stake in Empire State Realty Trust by 456.9% in the fourth quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 11,128,303 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $72,557,000 after buying an additional 9,129,959 shares during the last quarter. Resolution Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Empire State Realty Trust during the second quarter worth approximately $43,706,000. Lasalle Investment Management Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Empire State Realty Trust by 264.1% during the fourth quarter. Lasalle Investment Management Securities LLC now owns 5,524,484 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $36,020,000 after acquiring an additional 4,007,189 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Empire State Realty Trust by 137.7% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,105,313 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $24,284,000 after acquiring an additional 1,798,850 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its position in Empire State Realty Trust by 55.5% in the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 4,905,653 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,509,000 after purchasing an additional 1,750,544 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.10% of the company’s stock.

About Empire State Realty Trust

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on the ownership, management and operation of office and retail properties. The company’s portfolio features the iconic Empire State Building in Midtown Manhattan, alongside a diversified collection of commercial assets situated throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn and select markets in Upstate New York. By offering premium office space and street-level retail, Empire State Realty Trust positions itself as a landlord of choice for corporate tenants, retailers and experiential brands seeking high-profile addresses.

Established through a spin-off of assets in early 2013, Empire State Realty Trust consolidated a mix of landmark and Class A properties, creating scale in one of the world’s most competitive real estate markets.