Douglas Emmett Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:DEI)

Douglas Emmett, Inc. (NYSE:DEI) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders bought 4,001 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 463% compared to the average volume of 711 call options.

Douglas Emmett Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:DEI traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $11.33. The company had a trading volume of 248,545 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,658,331. Douglas Emmett has a 1-year low of $9.04 and a 1-year high of $16.99. The stock has a market cap of $1.90 billion, a PE ratio of -66.62, a P/E/G ratio of 6.07 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 2.63, a current ratio of 2.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $10.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $10.87.

Douglas Emmett (NYSE:DEI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $250.96 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $251.11 million. Douglas Emmett had a negative return on equity of 0.74% and a negative net margin of 2.59%.The business’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.40 earnings per share. Douglas Emmett has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.390-1.45 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Douglas Emmett will post 1.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Douglas Emmett Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. Douglas Emmett’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -447.06%.

Institutional Trading of Douglas Emmett

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in Douglas Emmett by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,684,450 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $88,507,000 after acquiring an additional 899,233 shares during the period. Bayhunt Capital LLC bought a new position in Douglas Emmett during the fourth quarter worth $4,012,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Douglas Emmett by 8.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,718,393 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $26,755,000 after purchasing an additional 135,622 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Douglas Emmett by 19.5% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,295,210 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $35,736,000 after purchasing an additional 374,928 shares during the period. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its stake in shares of Douglas Emmett by 14.4% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 653,180 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $10,170,000 after buying an additional 82,286 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.37% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DEI has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded Douglas Emmett from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Evercore set a $12.00 price objective on Douglas Emmett in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Douglas Emmett from $14.00 to $11.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on Douglas Emmett from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of Douglas Emmett from $12.50 to $11.50 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.31.

About Douglas Emmett

Douglas Emmett, Inc is a publicly traded real estate investment trust headquartered in Santa Monica, California. The company specializes in the ownership, management and development of high‐quality office and multifamily properties, primarily concentrated in the coastal regions of Los Angeles County and the Greater Honolulu area. As a vertically integrated real estate platform, Douglas Emmett controls all aspects of property operations, leasing, capital improvements and tenant relations, positioning it to deliver stable, long‐term cash flows.

The company’s office portfolio consists predominantly of Class A buildings located in prime business districts, featuring modern amenities, campus-like settings and environmentally conscious design elements.