Aurora Investment Counsel Purchases Shares of 91,448 Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

Key Points

• Aurora Investment Counsel acquired 91,448 shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in the second quarter, worth approximately $2.73 million. Institutional investors collectively own 96.98% of EPRT.
• EPRT reported quarterly EPS of $0.34, beating estimates by $0.01, while revenue rose 18.1% year over year to $161.89 million. The company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $2.01–$2.05.
• Analysts maintain a consensus “Buy” rating with a $36.20 target price, compared with a recent share price of $31.11. EPRT also increased its quarterly dividend to $0.32, representing a 4.1% annualized yield.

Aurora Investment Counsel acquired a new position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 91,448 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,730,000. Essential Properties Realty Trust makes up about 1.4% of Aurora Investment Counsel's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in EPRT. First National Bank of Omaha acquired a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust during the second quarter valued at $3,148,000. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,183,153,000. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust during the 2nd quarter valued at about $11,561,000. Pursue Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at about $315,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,538,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.98% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Robert M. Jenkins sold 22,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.22, for a total value of $708,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 34,168 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.77% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on EPRT. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $36.25 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Barclays cut their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $40.00 to $37.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised Essential Properties Realty Trust from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 20th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eleven have given a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $36.20.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of EPRT opened at $31.11 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 8.17, a quick ratio of 8.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 12-month low of $28.95 and a 12-month high of $34.73. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $31.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.86.

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

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a $0.32 dividend. This is a boost from Essential Properties Realty Trust's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. Essential Properties Realty Trust's payout ratio is currently 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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