Hsbc Holdings PLC Acquires 197,966 Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 23.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,027,521 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 197,966 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned approximately 0.48% of Essential Properties Realty Trust worth $31,346,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of EPRT. Cohen & Steers Inc. boosted its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 111.6% during the 4th quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 18,611,967 shares of the company’s stock valued at $552,031,000 after acquiring an additional 9,816,042 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position 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 in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 4,681.4% in the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 3,997,593 shares of the company’s stock worth $118,569,000 after acquiring an additional 3,913,986 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its position 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust during the 4th quarter worth $68,467,000. Institutional investors own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Performance

Shares of EPRT stock opened at $33.25 on Wednesday. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 12-month low of $28.95 and a 12-month high of $34.73. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $30.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $31.38. The company has a current ratio of 5.12, a quick ratio of 5.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company has a market cap of $7.19 billion, a PE ratio of 26.18, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.88.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.33 by ($0.05). Essential Properties Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.30% and a net margin of 43.46%.The business had revenue of $158.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $151.87 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.45 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a $0.32 dividend. This is a boost from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is 100.79%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 20th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $34.00 to $33.00 in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $36.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Mizuho lowered 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 report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eleven have issued a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $36.41.

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.