Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 56,694 Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 0.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 29,587,182 shares of the company’s stock after selling 56,694 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 0.15% of Essential Properties Realty Trust worth $877,556,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 975,355 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,051,000 after purchasing an additional 126,372 shares in the last quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd grew its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 40.7% in the fourth quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd now owns 149,105 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,422,000 after purchasing an additional 43,100 shares in the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 27.9% in the fourth quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 9,709 shares of the company’s stock worth $291,000 after purchasing an additional 2,115 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 172,733 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,123,000 after purchasing an additional 13,544 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp grew its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 146.9% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 1,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE EPRT opened at $31.28 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 capitalization of $6.76 billion, a PE ratio of 24.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.91. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $32.39 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $31.28. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. 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 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). The company had revenue of $158.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $151.87 million. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a net margin of 43.46% and a return on equity of 6.30%. The firm’s revenue was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.45 EPS. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.050 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on EPRT shares. 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. Mizuho increased their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $33.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Wall Street Zen cut Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised Essential Properties Realty Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $35.00 to $37.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $36.95.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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.