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

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is strongly positive: Twelve brokerages rate Essential Properties Realty Trust “Buy” on average, with an average 12-month price target of $36.20 versus the stock’s $31.05 opening price.
• The company exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.34 EPS versus a $0.33 consensus estimate and $161.89 million in revenue, up 18.1% year over year.
• Essential Properties raised its quarterly dividend to $0.32 per share, equivalent to a 4.1% annualized yield, while institutional investors own 96.98% of the stock.

Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Buy" from the twelve ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $36.2045.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on EPRT. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 20th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $40.00 to $37.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $34.00 to $33.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Robert M. Jenkins sold 22,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.22, for a total transaction of $708,840.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 34,168 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,100,892.96. This represents a 39.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.77% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Essential Properties Realty Trust

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in Essential Properties Realty Trust during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,838,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,008,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,459,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,337,000. Finally, Cetera Trust Company N.A bought a new stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust during the second quarter worth approximately $245,000. 96.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Trading Up 0.0%

Essential Properties Realty Trust stock opened at $31.05 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $31.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $31.51. The company has a quick ratio of 8.17, a current ratio of 8.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Essential Properties Realty Trust has a 12 month low of $28.95 and a 12 month high of $34.73. The stock has a market cap of $6.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.86.

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

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This is an increase from Essential Properties Realty Trust's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. Essential Properties Realty Trust's dividend payout ratio is presently 99.22%.

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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