First Trust Advisors LP Has $2.14 Million Stock Position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 71.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 70,566 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 29,388 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust were worth $2,142,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Essential Properties Realty Trust

In related news, COO Robert M. Jenkins sold 22,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.22, for a total transaction of $708,840.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 34,168 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,100,892.96. This trade represents a 39.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.77% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of EPRT opened at $30.60 on Friday. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 52-week low of $28.95 and a 52-week high of $34.73. The business’s fifty day moving average is $30.95 and its 200-day moving average is $31.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 8.17 and a current ratio of 8.17. The firm has a market cap of $6.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.72, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.86.

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

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a $0.32 dividend. 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 4.2%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 99.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on EPRT shares. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $36.25 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Scotiabank raised Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $34.00 to $33.00 in a report on Thursday, June 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $36.20.

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.