UBS Group AG Sells 120,800 Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

UBS Group AG trimmed its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 22.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 406,353 shares of the company’s stock after selling 120,800 shares during the period. UBS Group AG’s holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust were worth $12,052,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in EPRT. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 159.4% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 74,147 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,420,000 after acquiring an additional 45,561 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 21.8% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 22,244 shares of the company’s stock worth $726,000 after acquiring an additional 3,981 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 16.4% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,387,218 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,279,000 after acquiring an additional 195,057 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in Essential Properties Realty Trust during the first quarter worth $2,350,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 28.4% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 145,784 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,652,000 after acquiring an additional 32,254 shares in the last quarter. 96.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Essential Properties Realty Trust

In other news, CFO Robert Webb Salisbury sold 5,851 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.88, for a total transaction of $186,529.88. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 8,310 shares in the company, valued at approximately $264,922.80. This represents a 41.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP A Joseph Peil sold 19,657 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.10, for a total value of $630,989.70. Following the sale, the vice president owned 76,525 shares in the company, valued at $2,456,452.50. The trade was a 20.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.77% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Price Performance

Shares of EPRT stock opened at $30.21 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $31.90 and its 200-day moving average is $31.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 5.12 and a current ratio of 5.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.53 billion, a PE ratio of 23.78, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.91. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 52 week low of $28.95 and a 52 week high of $34.73.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.33 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $158.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $151.87 million. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.30% and a net margin of 43.46%.Essential Properties Realty Trust’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.45 EPS. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.050 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently 97.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on EPRT. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Barclays increased their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $36.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $36.55.

About Essential Properties Realty Trust

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc (NYSE: EPRT) is a self-administered real estate investment trust that acquires, owns and manages single-tenant commercial properties subject to long-term, triple-net leases. The company’s portfolio primarily consists of small-box retail and industrial assets, including convenience stores, automotive service centers, quick-service restaurants, fitness centers and other necessity-based businesses. Under a triple-net lease structure, tenants assume responsibility for property taxes, insurance and most maintenance expenses, providing Essential Properties with predictable, stable cash flows.

Since its founding in April 2016 and its initial public offering later that year, Essential Properties has pursued a growth strategy focused on partnering with creditworthy tenants operating in densely populated trade areas.