Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Scotiabank Analyst Says

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) had its target price upped by Scotiabank from $32.00 to $33.00 in a research report report published on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a sector perform rating on the stock.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on EPRT. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 4th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Mizuho boosted their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Raymond James increased their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $28.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $32.00 to $36.25 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $33.44.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EPRT opened at $34.31 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $33.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.83, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 5.59, a quick ratio of 5.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Essential Properties Realty Trust has a 52 week low of $23.42 and a 52 week high of $34.72.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.43 by ($0.16). Essential Properties Realty Trust had a net margin of 46.00% and a return on equity of 6.20%. The business had revenue of $117.13 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.73 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.42 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 27.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Essential Properties Realty Trust will post 1.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 100.87%.

Insider Activity at Essential Properties Realty Trust

In other news, CEO Peter M. Mavoides sold 27,817 shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.33, for a total value of $899,323.61. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 446,076 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,421,637.08. This trade represents a 5.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essential Properties Realty Trust

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 95.2% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 818 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 399 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 611.3% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 1,027 shares during the period. CWM LLC grew its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 122.9% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,244 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 686 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 116.4% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,945 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 1,046 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Company Profile

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc, a real estate company, acquires, owns, and manages single-tenant properties in the United States. The company leases its properties to middle-market companies, such as restaurants, car washes, automotive services, medical and dental services, convenience stores, equipment rental, entertainment, early childhood education, grocery, and health and fitness on a long-term basis.