Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) Price Target Raised to $36.25

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) had its price objective raised by Stifel Nicolaus from $36.00 to $36.25 in a research report released on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on EPRT. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $40.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 20th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $36.11.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE EPRT opened at $32.34 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 5.12, a current ratio of 8.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market cap of $6.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.88. Essential Properties Realty Trust has a 52 week low of $28.95 and a 52 week high of $34.73. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $30.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.42.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.01. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.34% and a net margin of 43.51%.The firm had revenue of $161.89 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $156.65 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.46 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 18.1% on a year-over-year basis. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.010-2.050 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Essential Properties Realty Trust will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. This is a positive change from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 99.22%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essential Properties Realty Trust

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Pensionfund Sabic increased its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 7.3% in the 2nd quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 29,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $881,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 45.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,329,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,368,000 after acquiring an additional 415,666 shares during the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 194,596 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,908,000 after acquiring an additional 8,343 shares during the last quarter. Amundi grew its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 177.3% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 736,225 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,352,000 after acquiring an additional 470,711 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Adelante Capital Management LLC grew its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 58.1% in the first quarter. Adelante Capital Management LLC now owns 650,129 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,738,000 after acquiring an additional 238,816 shares in the last quarter. 96.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.