Verity & Verity LLC Sells 2,984 Shares of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:DLR)

Verity & Verity LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:DLR – Get Rating) by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 91,580 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 2,984 shares during the quarter. Verity & Verity LLC’s holdings in Digital Realty Trust were worth $9,183,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Czech National Bank purchased a new stake in Digital Realty Trust in the third quarter worth $3,311,000. Neuberger Berman Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Digital Realty Trust by 17.1% in the third quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 758,245 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $75,179,000 after acquiring an additional 110,729 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Digital Realty Trust by 9.7% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 579,190 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $57,444,000 after purchasing an additional 51,161 shares in the last quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Digital Realty Trust by 5.5% during the third quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. now owns 980,215 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $97,552,000 after purchasing an additional 51,345 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Digital Realty Trust by 44.6% during the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 5,964 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $390,000 after purchasing an additional 1,840 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.00% of the company’s stock.

Digital Realty Trust Trading Down 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE:DLR opened at $100.70 on Friday. Digital Realty Trust, Inc. has a 12-month low of $85.76 and a 12-month high of $153.50. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $107.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $105.86. The company has a market capitalization of $29.32 billion, a PE ratio of 88.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

Digital Realty Trust (NYSE:DLR – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 16th. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by ($1.70). Digital Realty Trust had a net margin of 8.05% and a return on equity of 2.46%. The company had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.21 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.67 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Digital Realty Trust, Inc. will post 6.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Digital Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 14th. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.85%. Digital Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 428.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays lowered their target price on Digital Realty Trust from $88.00 to $81.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 19th. Raymond James cut their target price on Digital Realty Trust from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. BNP Paribas began coverage on Digital Realty Trust in a report on Wednesday, December 14th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $128.00 price target for the company. Exane BNP Paribas began coverage on Digital Realty Trust in a report on Wednesday, December 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $128.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut Digital Realty Trust from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $120.00 to $115.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $123.54.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Dyer Corey sold 4,401 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.19, for a total transaction of $458,540.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 30,026 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,128,408.94. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Digital Realty Trust news, EVP Jeannie Lee sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.00, for a total transaction of $115,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 10,975 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,262,125. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Dyer Corey sold 4,401 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.19, for a total value of $458,540.19. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 30,026 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,128,408.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Digital Realty Trust Company Profile

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Digital Realty Trust, Inc operates as a real estate investment trust, which engages in the provision of data center, colocation and interconnection solutions. It serves the following industries: artificial intelligence (AI), networks, cloud, digital media, mobile, financial services, healthcare, and gaming.