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

Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $35.6667.

Several research firms recently issued reports on EPRT. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock 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 note on Wednesday, January 28th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $37.00 price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Friday, February 13th.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE EPRT opened at $32.73 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.99. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $30.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $30.54. The company has a quick ratio of 6.37, a current ratio of 6.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Essential Properties Realty Trust has a 52-week low of $27.44 and a 52-week high of $33.35.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. This is a boost from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 96.88%.

Institutional Trading of Essential Properties Realty Trust

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 8.9% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,284,712 shares of the company’s stock valued at $104,815,000 after purchasing an additional 267,226 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,242,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 139.6% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 118,698 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,532,000 after acquiring an additional 69,157 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 2,890.8% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 22,192 shares of the company’s stock valued at $708,000 after purchasing an additional 21,450 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,378,414 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,782,000 after purchasing an additional 115,567 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

About Essential Properties Realty Trust

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.