Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Sells 13,922 Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lowered its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT - Free Report) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,613,911 shares of the company's stock after selling 13,922 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 1.49% of Essential Properties Realty Trust worth $81,763,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 74.5% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,096 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 468 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 1,834.4% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,180 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 1,119 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 215.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,211 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 827 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 275.5% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,456 shares of the company's stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 1,802 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.98% of the company's stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of EPRT stock opened at $31.90 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $31.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $32.08. The stock has a market cap of $6.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.08. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 12 month low of $26.06 and a 12 month high of $34.88. 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 (NYSE:EPRT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.01). Essential Properties Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.12% and a net margin of 45.15%. The company had revenue of $129.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $124.88 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.42 earnings per share. Essential Properties Realty Trust's revenue for the quarter was up 24.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a $0.295 dividend. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.70%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. Essential Properties Realty Trust's dividend payout ratio is 102.61%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Essential Properties Realty Trust news, Director Stephen D. Sautel sold 12,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now owns 178,785 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,817,663.90. This represents a 6.53 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.81% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on EPRT. Capital One Financial assumed coverage on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $35.00 target price for the company. Barclays lowered their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. B. Riley lowered Essential Properties Realty Trust from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $29.50 to $33.50 in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $33.00 to $32.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 28th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $34.91.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Profile

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.

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