Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $35.3182.

EPRT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Berenberg Bank started coverage on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Monday, October 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Up 1.3%

EPRT stock opened at $30.04 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.98. Essential Properties Realty Trust has a 12 month low of $27.44 and a 12 month high of $33.35. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $30.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $30.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 5.66 and a quick ratio of 5.66.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The company reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.38% and a net margin of 45.25%.The company had revenue of $144.93 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $140.42 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.43 EPS. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s quarterly revenue was up 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.040 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 1.870-1.890 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Essential Properties Realty Trust will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. This is a positive change from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s payout ratio is presently 100.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essential Properties Realty Trust

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of EPRT. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 18.9% in the 3rd quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 671,913 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,996,000 after purchasing an additional 106,783 shares during the period. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL raised its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 1,187,088 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,328,000 after purchasing an additional 25,349 shares during the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd purchased a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at $267,000. Cambria Investment Management L.P. boosted its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 15.6% during the 3rd quarter. Cambria Investment Management L.P. now owns 18,340 shares of the company’s stock worth $546,000 after purchasing an additional 2,475 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 39.8% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,290,212 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,157,000 after purchasing an additional 651,782 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

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.