FJ Capital Management LLC Decreases Stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

FJ Capital Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 53.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 17,665 shares of the company’s stock after selling 20,332 shares during the quarter. FJ Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust were worth $524,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Cohen & Steers Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 111.6% during the 4th quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 18,611,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $552,031,000 after purchasing an additional 9,816,042 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 8.2% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,131,871 shares of the company’s stock worth $358,488,000 after purchasing an additional 843,877 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 1,930,360.7% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,737,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $199,829,000 after purchasing an additional 6,736,959 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,240,401 shares of the company’s stock worth $155,452,000 after purchasing an additional 25,857 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 5,121,515 shares of the company’s stock worth $151,904,000 after purchasing an additional 243,576 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Performance

Shares of EPRT opened at $30.86 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $31.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.32. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 52-week low of $28.95 and a 52-week high of $34.73. The firm has a market cap of $6.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.30, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.88. 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 announced its 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 business had revenue of $158.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $151.87 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.45 earnings per share. The business’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. Analysts forecast that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. This is an increase from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 100.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on EPRT. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $36.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Barclays boosted their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $36.50.

Insider Activity at Essential Properties Realty Trust

In related news, CFO Robert Webb Salisbury sold 5,851 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 8,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $264,922.80. This represents a 41.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP A Joseph Peil sold 19,657 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.10, for a total value of $630,989.70. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 76,525 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,456,452.50. This represents a 20.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.77% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust 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.