Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT Shares Purchased by Geode Capital Management LLC

Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,240,401 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,857 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned 2.64% of Essential Properties Realty Trust worth $155,452,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of EPRT. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 1,930,360.7% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,737,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $199,829,000 after acquiring an additional 6,736,959 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 195.4% in the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,970,789 shares of the company’s stock worth $118,171,000 after acquiring an additional 2,626,478 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 59.9% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,803,496 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,812,000 after acquiring an additional 1,425,082 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 168.5% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,212,137 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,833,000 after acquiring an additional 1,388,289 shares during the period. Finally, Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC lifted its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 84.6% in the 3rd quarter. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC now owns 2,188,633 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,134,000 after acquiring an additional 1,003,177 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Performance

Shares of EPRT opened at $29.75 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $31.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.35. The company has a quick ratio of 5.12, a current ratio of 5.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company has a market capitalization of $6.43 billion, a PE ratio of 23.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.88. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 52-week low of $28.95 and a 52-week high of $34.73.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $158.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $151.87 million. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a net margin of 43.46% and a return on equity of 6.30%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.45 EPS. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.050 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.3%. This is a boost from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s payout ratio is 97.64%.

Insider Transactions at Essential Properties Realty Trust

In other news, CFO Robert Webb Salisbury sold 5,851 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.88, for a total value of $186,529.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 8,310 shares in the company, valued at $264,922.80. This trade represents a 41.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP A Joseph Peil sold 19,657 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.10, for a total transaction of $630,989.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 76,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,456,452.50. This represents a 20.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.77% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on EPRT shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $36.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $35.00 to $37.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $36.50.

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.