EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• EPR Properties has received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from analysts, with an average 12-month price target of $59.36.
• Insider trading activity includes EVP Gregory E. Zimmerman selling 7,500 shares, while several hedge funds have significantly increased their positions in EPR Properties.
• The company announced a monthly dividend of $0.295 per share, with a dividend yield of 6.1%, highlighting its commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Shares of EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the eight analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $59.3571.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on EPR shares. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of EPR Properties from $62.00 to $54.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 15th. KeyCorp downgraded shares of EPR Properties from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded shares of EPR Properties from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and set a $58.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of EPR Properties from $65.00 to $65.50 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Raymond James Financial increased their target price on shares of EPR Properties from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th.

Insider Buying and Selling at EPR Properties

In other news, EVP Gregory E. Zimmerman sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.12, for a total value of $435,900.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 81,377 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,729,631.24. This trade represents a 8.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 22,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,248,075. Company insiders own 2.31% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EPR Properties

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EPR. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its stake in shares of EPR Properties by 3,816.2% in the 1st quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,874,975 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $98,642,000 after purchasing an additional 1,827,098 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in EPR Properties in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $55,093,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in EPR Properties by 378.0% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 821,532 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $43,221,000 after buying an additional 649,675 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. boosted its position in EPR Properties by 42.0% during the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 1,870,499 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $108,975,000 after buying an additional 553,209 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in EPR Properties during the 1st quarter worth approximately $21,166,000. 74.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

EPR Properties Trading Up 0.6%

EPR stock opened at $58.36 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 7.77 and a current ratio of 7.77. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $55.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.16. EPR Properties has a 52 week low of $41.75 and a 52 week high of $61.24. The company has a market capitalization of $4.44 billion, a PE ratio of 28.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 1.28.

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $150.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $176.50 million. EPR Properties had a return on equity of 7.66% and a net margin of 25.28%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.22 earnings per share. EPR Properties has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.000-5.160 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that EPR Properties will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current year.

EPR Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be paid a $0.295 dividend. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 30th. EPR Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 174.38%.

About EPR Properties

EPR Properties NYSE: EPR is the leading diversified experiential net lease real estate investment trust (REIT), specializing in select enduring experiential properties in the real estate industry. We focus on real estate venues that create value by facilitating out of home leisure and recreation experiences where consumers choose to spend their discretionary time and money.

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