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

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Buy” by the twelve ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $36.4091.

Several research analysts have recently commented on EPRT shares. Barclays boosted their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 20th. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essential Properties Realty Trust

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 82.0% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 899 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Corp grew its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 146.9% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 1,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 673 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 47.8% in the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,339 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 433 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 664.4% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,382 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 273.6% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,614 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 1,182 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:EPRT opened at $30.70 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.64 billion, a PE ratio of 24.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.88. Essential Properties Realty Trust has a 1 year low of $28.95 and a 1 year high of $34.73. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $30.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.23. The company has a current ratio of 5.12, a quick ratio of 5.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last announced its 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $151.87 million. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.30% and a net margin of 43.46%.The company’s revenue was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.45 EPS. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.050 EPS. Analysts expect that Essential Properties Realty Trust will post 1.97 EPS 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 paid a $0.32 dividend. This is a boost from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.2%. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 97.64%.

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.