Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) Receives Average Rating of “Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) have received a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the twelve brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $36.4091.

A number of research firms recently commented on EPRT. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $34.00 to $33.00 in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $35.00 to $37.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 20th.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Performance

Shares of EPRT opened at $30.03 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 5.12, a quick ratio of 5.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market cap of $6.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.65, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a 50-day moving average of $30.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.22. Essential Properties Realty Trust has a 12-month low of $28.95 and a 12-month high of $34.73.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $158.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $151.87 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.45 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.050 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Essential Properties Realty Trust will post 1.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This is an increase from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s payout ratio is 100.79%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essential Properties Realty Trust

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EPRT. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 82.0% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 899 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the period. First Horizon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 146.9% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 1,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 47.8% during the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,339 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 433 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 664.4% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,382 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 273.6% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,614 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 1,182 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Company Profile

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.