Quantbot Technologies LP Sells 224,981 Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

Quantbot Technologies LP reduced its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 80.0% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 56,239 shares of the company’s stock after selling 224,981 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust were worth $1,674,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of EPRT. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 159.4% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 74,147 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,420,000 after purchasing an additional 45,561 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 3,981 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position 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 valued at $45,279,000 after acquiring an additional 195,057 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust during the first quarter valued at approximately $2,350,000. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 213,872 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,825,000 after acquiring an additional 1,477 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $37.00 target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $35.78.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Performance

Essential Properties Realty Trust stock opened at $34.58 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $31.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $30.74. The company has a market cap of $7.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.95. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 52-week low of $27.44 and a 52-week high of $34.73. The company has a quick ratio of 6.37, a current ratio of 6.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. This is a positive change from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 96.88%.

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.