Meritage Portfolio Management Sells 28,149 Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

Meritage Portfolio Management trimmed its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 11.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 210,428 shares of the company’s stock after selling 28,149 shares during the period. Meritage Portfolio Management’s holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust were worth $6,262,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of EPRT. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 159.4% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 74,147 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,420,000 after purchasing an additional 45,561 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 21.8% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 22,244 shares of the company’s stock valued at $726,000 after purchasing an additional 3,981 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 16.4% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,387,218 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,279,000 after purchasing an additional 195,057 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust during the first quarter worth about $2,350,000. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,071,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on EPRT. Berenberg Bank started coverage on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Monday, October 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $36.00 target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Essential Properties Realty Trust presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $35.41.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:EPRT opened at $30.45 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 5.66 and a current ratio of 5.66. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 52-week low of $27.44 and a 52-week high of $33.35. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $30.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $30.53. The firm has a market cap of $6.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.55, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.99.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.48. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.38% and a net margin of 45.25%.The firm had revenue of $144.93 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $140.42 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.43 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 23.7% on a year-over-year basis. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.040 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 1.870-1.890 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. This is a positive change from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 100.00%.

Essential Properties Realty Trust 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.