Weyerhaeuser (NYSE:WY – Get Free Report) and EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR – Get Free Report) are both real estate companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation and dividends.
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Weyerhaeuser and EPR Properties, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Weyerhaeuser | 0 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 2.73 |
| EPR Properties | 0 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 2.69 |
Weyerhaeuser presently has a consensus target price of $29.00, suggesting a potential upside of 18.85%. EPR Properties has a consensus target price of $65.45, suggesting a potential upside of 8.31%. Given Weyerhaeuser’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Weyerhaeuser is more favorable than EPR Properties.
Profitability
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Weyerhaeuser | 6.89% | 1.49% | 0.85% |
| EPR Properties | 35.45% | 11.34% | 4.58% |
Dividends
Weyerhaeuser pays an annual dividend of $0.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.4%. EPR Properties pays an annual dividend of $3.72 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.2%. Weyerhaeuser pays out 129.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. EPR Properties pays out 119.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Weyerhaeuser has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years and EPR Properties has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years. EPR Properties is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares Weyerhaeuser and EPR Properties”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Weyerhaeuser | $6.91 billion | 2.55 | $324.00 million | $0.65 | 37.54 |
| EPR Properties | $718.36 million | 6.44 | $274.94 million | $3.11 | 19.43 |
Weyerhaeuser has higher revenue and earnings than EPR Properties. EPR Properties is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Weyerhaeuser, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Insider & Institutional Ownership
83.0% of Weyerhaeuser shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 74.7% of EPR Properties shares are held by institutional investors. 0.3% of Weyerhaeuser shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.0% of EPR Properties shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Risk & Volatility
Weyerhaeuser has a beta of 0.89, suggesting that its share price is 11% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, EPR Properties has a beta of 1.02, suggesting that its share price is 2% more volatile than the S&P 500.
About Weyerhaeuser
Weyerhaeuser Company, one of the world's largest private owners of timberlands, began operations in 1900. We own or control approximately 11 million acres of timberlands in the U.S. and manage additional timberlands under long-term licenses in Canada. We manage these timberlands on a sustainable basis in compliance with internationally recognized forestry standards. We are also one of the largest manufacturers of wood products in North America. Our company is a real estate investment trust. In 2022, we generated $10.2 billion in net sales and employed approximately 9,200 people who serve customers worldwide. Our common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol WY.
About EPR Properties
EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) is the leading diversified experiential net lease real estate investment trust (REIT), specializing in select enduring experiential properties in the real estate industry. We focus on real estate venues that create value by facilitating out of home leisure and recreation experiences where consumers choose to spend their discretionary time and money. We have total assets of approximately $5.7 billion (after accumulated depreciation of approximately $1.4 billion) across 44 states. We adhere to rigorous underwriting and investing criteria centered on key industry, property and tenant level cash flow standards. We believe our focused approach provides a competitive advantage and the potential for stable and attractive returns.
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