Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT Shares Purchased by Cohen & Steers Inc.

Cohen & Steers Inc. increased its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 111.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,611,967 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,816,042 shares during the quarter. Essential Properties Realty Trust accounts for approximately 1.0% of Cohen & Steers Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Cohen & Steers Inc. owned approximately 0.09% of Essential Properties Realty Trust worth $552,031,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of EPRT. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 82.0% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 899 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 405 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp raised its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 146.9% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 1,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 673 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 664.4% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,382 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 40.1% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,883 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in Essential Properties Realty Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at about $57,000. 96.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EPRT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $35.00 to $37.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $35.00 to $34.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $36.50.

Insider Transactions at Essential Properties Realty Trust

In other news, CFO Robert Webb Salisbury sold 5,851 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.88, for a total transaction of $186,529.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 8,310 shares in the company, valued at approximately $264,922.80. The trade was a 41.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP A Joseph Peil sold 19,657 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.10, for a total value of $630,989.70. Following the sale, the vice president 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 currently owned by insiders.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Up 1.7%

EPRT opened at $30.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 5.12 and a quick ratio of 5.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.88. The business has a 50-day moving average of $31.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.32. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.33 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $158.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 quarterly revenue was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.45 EPS. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.050 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This is an increase from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 97.64%.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Company 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.