Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) Receives $36.20 Average PT from Brokerages

Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) have earned an average rating of “Buy” from the twelve analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $36.2045.

EPRT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $40.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 20th. Scotiabank raised Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $34.00 to $33.00 in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $36.25 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target 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, May 13th.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Performance

Shares of EPRT stock opened at $30.82 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 8.17 and a current ratio of 8.17. Essential Properties Realty Trust has a one year low of $28.95 and a one year high of $34.73. The company’s 50-day moving average is $31.04 and its 200 day moving average is $31.53.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $161.89 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $156.65 million. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a net margin of 43.51% and a return on equity of 6.34%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.46 earnings per share. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.010-2.050 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Essential Properties Realty Trust will post 1.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This is a positive change from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is 99.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Essential Properties Realty Trust news, COO Robert M. Jenkins sold 22,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.22, for a total value of $708,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 34,168 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,100,892.96. The trade was a 39.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.77% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in the 2nd quarter worth $1,183,153,000. Cohen & Steers Inc. increased its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 111.6% during the fourth quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 18,611,967 shares of the company’s stock valued at $552,031,000 after acquiring an additional 9,816,042 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 1,930,360.7% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,737,308 shares of the company’s stock valued at $199,829,000 after acquiring an additional 6,736,959 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 4,681.4% in the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 3,997,593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $118,569,000 after acquiring an additional 3,913,986 shares during the period. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 195.4% in the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,970,789 shares of the company’s stock worth $118,171,000 after purchasing an additional 2,626,478 shares during the last quarter. 96.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.