Deutsche Bank AG Lowers Holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT)

Key Points

• Deutsche Bank AG reduced its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 6.6% in Q1, selling 375,068 shares, resulting in ownership of approximately 5.3 million shares valued at $173.45 million.
• Several hedge funds recently adjusted their positions in EPRT, with overall institutional ownership at 96.98%, indicating strong institutional interest in the company.
• Analysts have mixed views on EPRT, with price target adjustments leading to an average target of $34.90 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

Deutsche Bank AG decreased its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT - Free Report) by 6.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 5,314,158 shares of the company's stock after selling 375,068 shares during the quarter. Deutsche Bank AG owned approximately 2.69% of Essential Properties Realty Trust worth $173,454,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of EPRT. KBC Group NV raised its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 8,085 shares of the company's stock worth $264,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,778 shares of the company's stock worth $352,000 after acquiring an additional 419 shares during the period. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 18,355 shares of the company's stock worth $574,000 after acquiring an additional 581 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. raised its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 14,026 shares of the company's stock worth $458,000 after acquiring an additional 646 shares during the period. Finally, Mutual of America Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 27,331 shares of the company's stock worth $892,000 after acquiring an additional 772 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.98% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP A Joseph Peil sold 13,227 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.96, for a total transaction of $435,961.92. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 76,590 shares in the company, valued at $2,524,406.40. The trade was a 14.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Up 1.1%

Essential Properties Realty Trust stock traded up $0.34 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $30.24. The stock had a trading volume of 1,177,841 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,703,026. The company has a market cap of $5.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.62, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 5.67 and a quick ratio of 5.67. The business's 50 day moving average price is $31.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.68. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 52 week low of $27.44 and a 52 week high of $34.88.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.47 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $129.11 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $131.72 million. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.20% and a net margin of 44.48%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 25.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.47 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.83 EPS for the current year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 14th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This is a positive change from Essential Properties Realty Trust's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. Essential Properties Realty Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 101.69%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EPRT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $36.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $36.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Essential Properties Realty Trust presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $34.90.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Company Profile

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc, a real estate company, acquires, owns, and manages single-tenant properties in the United States. The company leases its properties to middle-market companies, such as restaurants, car washes, automotive services, medical and dental services, convenience stores, equipment rental, entertainment, early childhood education, grocery, and health and fitness on a long-term basis.