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

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is bullish: Essential Properties Realty Trust has a consensus rating of "Buy" from 12 covering brokerages, with 11 buy ratings and one strong buy. The average 12-month price target is about $36.41.
• Recent analyst actions were mixed but mostly positive: UBS, Barclays, Wells Fargo, and Raymond James all raised or reiterated favorable ratings and price targets, while Mizuho trimmed its target slightly but still kept an outperform rating.
• The REIT boosted its dividend: EPRT declared a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share, up from $0.31, implying an annualized yield of about 4.2%. However, the payout ratio is high at 97.64%.

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT - Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of "Buy" from the twelve brokerages that are presently covering the firm, 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 twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $36.4091.

Several research firms have recently commented on EPRT. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Raymond James Financial raised Essential Properties Realty Trust from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $35.00 to $37.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Barclays upped their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 1st.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Price Performance

Shares of EPRT opened at $30.70 on Friday. Essential Properties Realty Trust has a fifty-two week low of $28.95 and a fifty-two week high of $34.73. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $30.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.23. The company has a market cap of $6.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.17, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 5.12, a current ratio of 5.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 analysts' expectations of $151.87 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.45 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue 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. On average, research analysts forecast that Essential Properties Realty Trust will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.2%. This is an increase from Essential Properties Realty Trust's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Essential Properties Realty Trust's payout ratio is presently 97.64%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essential Properties Realty Trust

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EPRT. Cohen & Steers Inc. grew its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 111.6% in the 4th quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 18,611,967 shares of the company's stock worth $552,031,000 after purchasing an additional 9,816,042 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 1,930,360.7% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,737,308 shares of the company's stock worth $199,829,000 after acquiring an additional 6,736,959 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 4,681.4% in the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 3,997,593 shares of the company's stock worth $118,569,000 after acquiring an additional 3,913,986 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 195.4% in the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,970,789 shares of the company's stock worth $118,171,000 after acquiring an additional 2,626,478 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust in the 4th quarter worth about $68,467,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.98% of the company's stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Company Profile

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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