SG Americas Securities LLC Increases Holdings in Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:PDM)

SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:PDM - Free Report) by 694.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 590,715 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 516,367 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC owned approximately 0.48% of Piedmont Office Realty Trust worth $4,153,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in PDM. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Piedmont Office Realty Trust by 111.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,035,019 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $5,817,000 after purchasing an additional 546,165 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Piedmont Office Realty Trust by 21.0% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 97,138 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $546,000 after buying an additional 16,880 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its holdings in shares of Piedmont Office Realty Trust by 8.3% during the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 184,030 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,034,000 after buying an additional 14,038 shares during the last quarter. Scharf Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Piedmont Office Realty Trust during the fourth quarter valued at about $94,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Piedmont Office Realty Trust by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 121,143 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $861,000 after acquiring an additional 6,469 shares in the last quarter. 84.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Piedmont Office Realty Trust from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 29th.

Piedmont Office Realty Trust Stock Up 0.1 %

Piedmont Office Realty Trust stock traded up $0.01 during trading on Friday, hitting $8.04. 916,141 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 961,800. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The business's 50 day moving average is $7.20 and its 200 day moving average is $6.89. Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. has a 52 week low of $4.91 and a 52 week high of $8.22. The company has a market capitalization of $996.08 million, a P/E ratio of -13.18 and a beta of 1.21.

Piedmont Office Realty Trust (NYSE:PDM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.22) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.39 by ($0.61). Piedmont Office Realty Trust had a negative net margin of 12.90% and a negative return on equity of 4.29%. The firm had revenue of $144.54 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $143.41 million. Analysts predict that Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Piedmont Office Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 24th were given a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.22%. Piedmont Office Realty Trust's dividend payout ratio is currently -81.97%.

Piedmont Office Realty Trust Company Profile

Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc (also referred to herein as "Piedmont" or the "Company") NYSE: PDM is an owner, manager, developer, redeveloper and operator of high-quality, Class A office properties located primarily in major U.S. Sunbelt markets. The Company is a fully-integrated, self-managed real estate investment trust ("REIT") with local management offices in each of its markets and is investment-grade rated by Standard & Poor's and Moody's.