Short Interest in EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) Grows By 20.3%

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 2,850,000 shares, a growth of 20.3% from the February 13th total of 2,370,000 shares. Approximately 3.8% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 668,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.3 days.

EPR Properties Stock Down 1.0 %

NYSE EPR traded down $0.53 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $51.32. 746,873 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 561,506. EPR Properties has a 12 month low of $39.66 and a 12 month high of $54.25. The company has a current ratio of 7.81, a quick ratio of 7.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.90 billion, a PE ratio of 22.22 and a beta of 1.72. The company has a 50 day moving average of $48.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.18.

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.56. EPR Properties had a net margin of 28.87% and a return on equity of 8.22%. The firm had revenue of $149.12 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $161.25 million. As a group, equities analysts expect that EPR Properties will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current year.

EPR Properties Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.295 per share. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.90%. This is an increase from EPR Properties’s previous monthly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. EPR Properties’s dividend payout ratio is 221.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on EPR shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of EPR Properties from $45.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of EPR Properties from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of EPR Properties from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of EPR Properties from $46.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, EPR Properties currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Gwendolyn Mary Johnson sold 3,900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.02, for a total value of $210,678.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 8,216 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $443,828.32. This represents a 32.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Tonya L. Mater sold 3,120 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.90, for a total transaction of $161,928.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 46,827 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,430,321.30. The trade was a 6.25 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 9,520 shares of company stock valued at $502,581. Insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in EPR Properties during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of EPR Properties in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of EPR Properties by 36.6% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,127 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of EPR Properties by 54.5% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,296 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 457 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. bought a new position in shares of EPR Properties in the 4th quarter worth about $60,000. 74.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

EPR Properties Company Profile

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.