Pensionfund PDN Buys Shares of 60,500 Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

Pensionfund PDN purchased a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 60,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,794,000. Essential Properties Realty Trust comprises approximately 1.2% of Pensionfund PDN’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of EPRT. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 59,557 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,766,000 after buying an additional 2,566 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust in the fourth quarter valued at about $225,000. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP grew its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 18.9% in the third quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 671,913 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,996,000 after acquiring an additional 106,783 shares during the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL grew its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 2.2% in the third quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 1,187,088 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,328,000 after acquiring an additional 25,349 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd acquired a new position in Essential Properties Realty Trust during the third quarter worth about $267,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Price Performance

Essential Properties Realty Trust stock opened at $31.35 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 6.37, a quick ratio of 6.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The company has a market capitalization of $6.58 billion, a PE ratio of 24.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.95. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 12 month low of $27.44 and a 12 month high of $34.73. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $32.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $30.93.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 96.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Essential Properties Realty Trust news, CFO Robert Webb Salisbury sold 5,851 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.88, for a total transaction of $186,529.88. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 8,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $264,922.80. The trade was a 41.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP A Joseph Peil sold 19,657 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.10, for a total transaction of $630,989.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 76,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,456,452.50. This trade represents a 20.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.81% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EPRT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $37.00 price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $35.00 to $37.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $36.60.

About Essential Properties Realty Trust

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.