Strs Ohio Acquires 157,600 Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

Strs Ohio increased its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 28.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 719,600 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 157,600 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust were worth $21,343,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Horizon Investments LLC bought a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust in the 4th quarter worth about $76,000. Danske Bank A S increased its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 26.3% in the 4th quarter. Danske Bank A S now owns 2,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 69,801 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,070,000 after buying an additional 1,451 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp grew its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 62.2% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 47,772 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,417,000 after purchasing an additional 18,312 shares during the period. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 29,122 shares of the company’s stock valued at $864,000 after purchasing an additional 2,696 shares during the period. 96.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Essential Properties Realty Trust

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

Essential Properties Realty Trust Trading Up 0.1%

Essential Properties Realty Trust stock opened at $31.28 on Monday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $32.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.29. The company has a market cap of $6.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 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. The company has a quick ratio of 5.12, a current ratio of 5.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by ($0.05). Essential Properties Realty Trust had a net margin of 43.46% and a return on equity of 6.30%. The firm had revenue of $158.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $151.87 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.45 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.050 EPS. Analysts predict that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.97 EPS for the current year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s payout ratio is presently 97.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on EPRT shares. Raymond James Financial upgraded Essential Properties Realty Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $35.00 to $37.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $33.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $36.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $36.95.

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.