Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a bullish outlook: Twelve brokerages rate Essential Properties Realty Trust “Buy” on average, with an average 12-month price target of $36.20 versus the stock’s $29.58 opening price.
• The company exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.34 in EPS and $161.89 million in revenue, while revenue increased 18.1% year over year. Management issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $2.01–$2.05.
• Essential Properties declared a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share, equivalent to a 4.3% annual yield; institutional investors own 96.98% of the outstanding shares.

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Buy" from the twelve brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $36.2045.

Several equities analysts recently commented on EPRT shares. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $36.25 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, September 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $40.00 to $37.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock opened at $29.58 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.93, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 8.17, a current ratio of 8.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $31.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $31.40. Essential Properties Realty Trust has a 12-month low of $28.95 and a 12-month high of $34.73.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $161.89 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $156.65 million. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.34% and a net margin of 43.51%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 18.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.46 earnings per share. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.010-2.050 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Essential Properties Realty Trust will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 30th. Essential Properties Realty Trust's payout ratio is currently 99.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Essential Properties Realty Trust news, COO Robert M. Jenkins sold 22,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.22, for a total value of $708,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 34,168 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,100,892.96. This trade represents a 39.17% 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 company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Essential Properties Realty Trust

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EPRT. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 82.0% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 899 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 47.8% in the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,339 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 433 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at $41,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 664.4% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 1,382 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 273.6% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,614 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 1,182 shares in the last quarter. 96.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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