Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) Announces Dividend Increase – $0.32 Per Share

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) declared a quarterly dividend on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of 0.32 per share on Tuesday, July 14th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This is a 3.2% increase from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31.

Essential Properties Realty Trust has increased its dividend by an average of 0.1%annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 6 consecutive years. Essential Properties Realty Trust has a payout ratio of 92.5% indicating that its dividend is currently covered by earnings, but may not be in the future if the company’s earnings fall. Research analysts expect Essential Properties Realty Trust to earn $2.10 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.24 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 59.0%.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of EPRT traded down $0.46 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $30.12. The company had a trading volume of 1,844,549 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,386,563. The stock has a market cap of $6.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.74, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.91. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $31.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.36. The company has a quick ratio of 5.12, a current ratio of 5.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Essential Properties Realty Trust has a 52 week low of $28.95 and a 52 week high of $34.73.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on EPRT shares. Barclays lifted their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group raised their price objective on 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. Truist Financial lifted their price objective 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. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $36.50.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Company 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.