Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Acquires 43,790 Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 15.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 332,420 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 43,790 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust were worth $9,893,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of EPRT. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Essential Properties Realty Trust during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new position in Essential Properties Realty Trust in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 54.2% in the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,867 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 656 shares in the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust during the third quarter valued at about $61,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 24.8% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,861 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 569 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on EPRT. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $37.00 price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Mizuho raised their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $35.78.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE EPRT opened at $34.33 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.82, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 6.37 and a quick ratio of 6.37. The business’s 50 day moving average is $31.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.80. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 1-year low of $27.44 and a 1-year high of $34.73.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 is a positive change from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is 96.88%.

Essential Properties Realty Trust 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.