Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Acquires 6,736,959 Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 1,930,360.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,737,308 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,736,959 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust were worth $199,829,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 195.4% in the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,970,789 shares of the company’s stock worth $118,171,000 after buying an additional 2,626,478 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 59.9% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,803,496 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,812,000 after buying an additional 1,425,082 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 168.5% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,212,137 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,833,000 after buying an additional 1,388,289 shares in the last quarter. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC lifted its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 84.6% in the third quarter. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC now owns 2,188,633 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,134,000 after buying an additional 1,003,177 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 467.2% in the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,209,778 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,003,000 after buying an additional 996,473 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Essential Properties Realty Trust

In other Essential Properties Realty Trust news, 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 sale, the vice president directly owned 76,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,456,452.50. This represents a 20.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Robert Webb Salisbury sold 5,851 shares of the company’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 approximately $264,922.80. This represents a 41.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.77% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on EPRT shares. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $35.00 to $37.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $36.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $36.55.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Down 1.2%

EPRT opened at $30.21 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 5.12, a current ratio of 5.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $31.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $31.29. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a twelve month low of $28.95 and a twelve month high of $34.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.78, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.91.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.33 by ($0.05). Essential Properties Realty Trust had a net margin of 43.46% and a return on equity of 6.30%. The company had revenue of $158.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $151.87 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.45 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.050 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s payout ratio is presently 97.64%.

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.