EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) Price Target Raised to $52.00

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) had its price target raised by Wells Fargo & Company from $45.00 to $52.00 in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an underweight rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on EPR. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of EPR Properties from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of EPR Properties in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $48.00 price target for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of EPR Properties from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.13.

EPR Properties Price Performance

Shares of EPR stock opened at $51.46 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 7.81 and a quick ratio of 7.81. The company has a market capitalization of $3.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.28 and a beta of 1.71. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $48.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $47.07. EPR Properties has a one year low of $39.65 and a one year high of $54.25.

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.56. The business had revenue of $149.12 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $161.25 million. EPR Properties had a net margin of 28.87% and a return on equity of 8.22%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that EPR Properties will post 4.65 EPS for the current year.

EPR Properties Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.295 per share. This is a positive change from EPR Properties’s previous monthly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.88%. EPR Properties’s dividend payout ratio is presently 221.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling at EPR Properties

In other EPR Properties news, SVP Gwendolyn Mary Johnson sold 3,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.02, for a total transaction of $210,678.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 8,216 shares in the company, valued at approximately $443,828.32. This represents a 32.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of EPR. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of EPR Properties in the third quarter worth $27,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in EPR Properties during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in EPR Properties by 36.6% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,127 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in EPR Properties by 54.5% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,296 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 457 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new position in EPR Properties during the fourth quarter valued at $60,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.66% of the company’s stock.

About EPR Properties

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.