QRG Capital Management Inc. Sells 32,832 Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

QRG Capital Management Inc. lowered its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 34.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 61,172 shares of the company’s stock after selling 32,832 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust were worth $1,820,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC lifted its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 11.5% in the 2nd quarter. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC now owns 5,303 shares of the company’s stock worth $169,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 3.2% in the second quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 18,558 shares of the company’s stock worth $592,000 after purchasing an additional 572 shares during the period. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 3.2% in the second quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC now owns 18,558 shares of the company’s stock worth $592,000 after buying an additional 572 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 1.4% in the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 43,461 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,386,000 after buying an additional 598 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 5.2% during the second quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 12,479 shares of the company’s stock worth $398,000 after buying an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EPRT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Berenberg Bank assumed coverage on Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Monday, October 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $37.00 target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 15th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Essential Properties Realty Trust presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $35.41.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EPRT opened at $30.84 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $30.54 and its 200 day moving average is $30.49. The stock has a market cap of $6.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.99. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 1-year low of $27.44 and a 1-year high of $33.35. The company has a current ratio of 5.66, a quick ratio of 5.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.48. The business had revenue of $144.93 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $140.42 million. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.38% and a net margin of 45.25%.Essential Properties Realty Trust’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.43 earnings per share. 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. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. This is an increase from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s payout ratio is 100.00%.

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.