Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) Increases Dividend to $0.32 Per Share

Key Points

• Essential Properties Realty Trust raised its quarterly dividend to $0.32 per share, up 3.2% from $0.31. The dividend is payable July 14 to shareholders of record on June 30, with an annualized yield of about 4.3%.
• The REIT has increased its dividend for 6 straight years, and analysts expect earnings of $2.10 per share next year, which would support the payout at a projected 59% payout ratio.
• Recent operating results were mixed: the company missed EPS estimates in its latest quarter but beat revenue expectations and posted 22.8% year-over-year revenue growth. Its shares were trading around $30.06, below recent moving averages and near the lower end of its 52-week range.

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT - Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of 0.32 per share on Tuesday, July 14th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This is a 3.2% increase from Essential Properties Realty Trust's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31.

Essential Properties Realty Trust has increased its dividend by an average of 0.1%annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 6 years. Essential Properties Realty Trust has a payout ratio of 92.5% meaning its dividend is currently covered by earnings, but may not be in the future if the company's earnings fall. Equities research analysts expect Essential Properties Realty Trust to earn $2.10 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.24 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 59.0%.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Performance

NYSE EPRT opened at $30.06 on Tuesday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $31.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.36. The company has a current ratio of 5.12, a quick ratio of 5.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Essential Properties Realty Trust has a twelve month low of $28.95 and a twelve month high of $34.73. The company has a market capitalization of $6.50 billion, a PE ratio of 23.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.91.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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). The business had revenue of $158.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $151.87 million. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a net margin of 43.46% and a return on equity of 6.30%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.45 EPS. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.050 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Essential Properties Realty Trust will post 1.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Essential Properties Realty Trust news, VP A Joseph Peil sold 19,657 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.10, for a total transaction of $630,989.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 76,525 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,456,452.50. This trade represents a 20.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Robert Webb Salisbury sold 5,851 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.88, for a total transaction of $186,529.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 8,310 shares of the company's stock, valued at $264,922.80. The trade was a 41.32% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.77% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EPRT. Cohen & Steers Inc. raised its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 111.6% during the 4th quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 18,611,967 shares of the company's stock valued at $552,031,000 after acquiring an additional 9,816,042 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 8.2% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,131,871 shares of the company's stock worth $358,488,000 after purchasing an additional 843,877 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,844,570 shares of the company's stock valued at $232,670,000 after purchasing an additional 421,364 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 1,930,360.7% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,737,308 shares of the company's stock worth $199,829,000 after purchasing an additional 6,736,959 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,240,401 shares of the company's stock worth $155,452,000 after purchasing an additional 25,857 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.98% of the company's stock.

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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