Xponance Inc. Increases Stock Position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT)

Xponance Inc. raised its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 7.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,380 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 874 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust were worth $419,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in Essential Properties Realty Trust during the 3rd quarter valued at about $69,473,000. Adelante Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 3,964.9% during the third quarter. Adelante Capital Management LLC now owns 1,111,634 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,962,000 after buying an additional 1,084,287 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 434.0% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,086,529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,105,000 after buying an additional 883,053 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $21,438,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 840.9% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 622,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,242,000 after acquiring an additional 555,926 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EPRT opened at $32.83 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $31.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $32.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 5.36 and a quick ratio of 5.36. The company has a market capitalization of $6.16 billion, a PE ratio of 28.79, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.36. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 1-year low of $24.72 and a 1-year high of $34.88.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.14. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a net margin of 45.15% and a return on equity of 6.12%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.295 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.59%. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is 103.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EPRT has been the subject of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $38.00 price objective for the company. Barclays cut their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. B. Riley lowered Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $29.50 to $33.50 in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Scotiabank lowered their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $33.00 to $32.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Capital One Financial started coverage on Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $35.00 price target on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Essential Properties Realty Trust currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.91.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Stephen D. Sautel sold 12,500 shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.54, for a total value of $406,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 178,785 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,817,663.90. This trade represents a 6.53 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Profile

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc, a real estate company, acquires, owns, and manages single-tenant properties in the United States. The company leases its properties to middle-market companies, such as restaurants, car washes, automotive services, medical and dental services, convenience stores, equipment rental, entertainment, early childhood education, grocery, and health and fitness on a long-term basis.