Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Buys 485,000 Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 225.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 700,000 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 485,000 shares during the quarter. Essential Properties Realty Trust comprises approximately 0.6% of Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC owned 0.35% of Essential Properties Realty Trust worth $20,832,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in EPRT. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in the third quarter worth about $46,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 54.2% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new position in Essential Properties Realty Trust during the third quarter valued at approximately $61,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 569 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on EPRT. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. UBS Group increased their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $37.00 price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Essential Properties Realty Trust has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $36.56.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE EPRT opened at $32.95 on Monday. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 1-year low of $27.44 and a 1-year high of $34.73. 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 $31.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.74, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.95.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s payout ratio is currently 96.88%.

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.