1,121,629 Shares in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) Bought by Balyasny Asset Management L.P.

Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,121,629 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $35,085,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. owned 0.64% of Essential Properties Realty Trust at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bastion Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Essential Properties Realty Trust in the fourth quarter valued at about $325,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 163.3% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 963,055 shares of the company's stock worth $30,124,000 after acquiring an additional 597,293 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 84.0% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 73,639 shares of the company's stock worth $2,303,000 after purchasing an additional 33,624 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 22.4% in the 4th quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 233,323 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,298,000 after purchasing an additional 42,692 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new position in Essential Properties Realty Trust during the fourth quarter worth $1,076,000. 96.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Trading Up 1.0 %

NYSE:EPRT traded up $0.33 on Friday, hitting $32.13. 1,026,749 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,430,044. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $31.60 and a 200-day moving average of $31.98. The stock has a market cap of $6.35 billion, a PE ratio of 28.18, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 5.36, a quick ratio of 5.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $26.07 and a fifty-two week high of $34.88.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.46 by ($0.01). Essential Properties Realty Trust had a net margin of 45.15% and a return on equity of 6.12%. The business had revenue of $129.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $124.88 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.42 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 24.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $0.295 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.67%. Essential Properties Realty Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 102.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Stephen D. Sautel sold 12,500 shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.54, for a total value of $406,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 178,785 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,817,663.90. This trade represents a 6.53 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.77% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EPRT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays cut their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Scotiabank reduced their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $33.00 to $32.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 28th. B. Riley downgraded shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $29.50 to $33.50 in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Capital One Financial started coverage on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $35.00 price target for the company. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $34.91.

About Essential Properties Realty Trust

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc, a real estate company, acquires, owns, and manages single-tenant properties in the United States. The company leases its properties to middle-market companies, such as restaurants, car washes, automotive services, medical and dental services, convenience stores, equipment rental, entertainment, early childhood education, grocery, and health and fitness on a long-term basis.