Analysts Set Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) Price Target at $36.50

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) has been given an average recommendation of “Buy” by the twelve analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $36.50.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $35.00 to $37.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Tuesday, February 17th.

Insider Activity at Essential Properties Realty Trust

In related 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 8,310 shares in the company, 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 is available through this link. Also, VP A Joseph Peil sold 19,657 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.10, for a total transaction of $630,989.70. Following 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.77% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 82.0% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 899 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Corp raised its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 146.9% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 1,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 47.8% during the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,339 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 433 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 664.4% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,382 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 273.6% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,614 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,182 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE:EPRT opened at $30.05 on Tuesday. Essential Properties Realty Trust has a one year low of $28.95 and a one year high of $34.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 5.12 and a current ratio of 5.12. The firm has a market cap of $6.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.88. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $31.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.33.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last posted 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). Essential Properties Realty Trust had a net margin of 43.46% and a return on equity of 6.30%. The business had revenue of $158.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $151.87 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.45 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.050 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Essential Properties Realty Trust will post 1.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This is a boost from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.3%. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 97.64%.

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.