Norges Bank Buys New Position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

Norges Bank bought a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 2,308,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $68,467,000. Norges Bank owned about 1.16% of Essential Properties Realty Trust at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EPRT. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 1,930,360.7% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,737,308 shares of the company’s stock valued at $199,829,000 after acquiring an additional 6,736,959 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 195.4% in the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,970,789 shares of the company’s stock valued at $118,171,000 after acquiring an additional 2,626,478 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 59.9% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,803,496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $112,812,000 after acquiring an additional 1,425,082 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 168.5% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,212,137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,833,000 after acquiring an additional 1,388,289 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 84.6% during the 3rd quarter. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC now owns 2,188,633 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,134,000 after buying an additional 1,003,177 shares in the last quarter. 96.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP A Joseph Peil sold 19,657 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.10, for a total value of $630,989.70. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 76,525 shares in the company, valued at $2,456,452.50. This trade represents a 20.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Robert Webb Salisbury sold 5,851 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.88, for a total value of $186,529.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 8,310 shares in the company, valued at approximately $264,922.80. This represents a 41.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.77% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Price Performance

Essential Properties Realty Trust stock opened at $30.33 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.88, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.88. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 52-week low of $28.95 and a 52-week high of $34.73. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $31.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 5.12 and a current ratio of 5.12.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last issued 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). Essential Properties Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.30% and a net margin of 43.46%.The firm had revenue of $158.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $151.87 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.45 earnings per share. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.050 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.2%. This is an increase from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on EPRT shares. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. UBS Group increased their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Barclays increased their price target 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. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $36.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $36.50.

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.