Short Interest in EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) Grows By 7.0%

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) saw a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,150,000 shares, an increase of 7.0% from the March 15th total of 2,010,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 651,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.3 days. Approximately 2.9% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EPR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JMP Securities downgraded EPR Properties from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 22nd. Raymond James raised their price target on EPR Properties from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 8th. StockNews.com cut EPR Properties from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. KeyCorp raised their price target on EPR Properties from $47.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price target on EPR Properties from $51.00 to $46.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, EPR Properties currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $48.05.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On EPR Properties

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EPR. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale lifted its position in EPR Properties by 221.6% during the 4th quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 57,636 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,838,000 after acquiring an additional 39,714 shares in the last quarter. Ballast Asset Management LP acquired a new position in EPR Properties during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,861,000. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in EPR Properties during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,165,000. Citigroup Inc. lifted its position in EPR Properties by 52.0% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 32,990 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,370,000 after acquiring an additional 11,283 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of EPR Properties by 3.3% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,227,642 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $50,996,000 after purchasing an additional 38,937 shares during the last quarter. 74.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

EPR Properties Trading Down 1.6 %

EPR traded down $0.65 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $39.76. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 681,996 shares, compared to its average volume of 647,792. The company has a current ratio of 7.53, a quick ratio of 7.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market cap of $3.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.18 and a beta of 1.65. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $41.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $43.91. EPR Properties has a 52-week low of $39.01 and a 52-week high of $49.10.

EPR Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.285 dividend. This represents a $3.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. EPR Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 173.60%.

EPR Properties Company Profile

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) is the leading diversified experiential net lease real estate investment trust (REIT), specializing in select enduring experiential properties in the real estate industry. We focus on real estate venues that create value by facilitating out of home leisure and recreation experiences where consumers choose to spend their discretionary time and money.