Entropy Technologies LP Makes New $599,000 Investment in EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR)

Key Points

• Entropy Technologies LP acquired 11,377 shares of EPR Properties, valued at approximately $599,000, during the first quarter, indicating growing institutional interest in the company.
• Several hedge funds increased their positions in EPR Properties significantly during the fourth quarter, with 74.66% of the stock now owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
• EPR Properties announced a dividend of $0.295 per share, contributing to a high payout ratio of 174.38%, reflecting the company's commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 11,377 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $599,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in EPR Properties during the 1st quarter worth approximately $508,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of EPR Properties by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 51,994 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,735,000 after purchasing an additional 2,625 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in EPR Properties by 3,816.2% during the first quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,874,975 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $98,642,000 after buying an additional 1,827,098 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC bought a new position in shares of EPR Properties in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $254,000. Finally, OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd acquired a new stake in EPR Properties in the 1st quarter worth approximately $4,825,000. 74.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

EPR Properties Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE EPR traded down $0.41 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $52.64. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,021,786 shares, compared to its average volume of 763,544. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 7.77 and a quick ratio of 7.77. The stock has a market cap of $4.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.33. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $57.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $52.83. EPR Properties has a one year low of $41.75 and a one year high of $61.24.

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by ($0.01). EPR Properties had a net margin of 25.28% and a return on equity of 7.66%. The company had revenue of $150.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $176.50 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.22 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that EPR Properties will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

EPR Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a aug 25 dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th will be given a $0.295 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 670.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. EPR Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 174.38%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EPR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of EPR Properties from $65.00 to $65.50 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of EPR Properties from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Raymond James Financial upped their target price on shares of EPR Properties from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of EPR Properties from $62.00 to $54.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut shares of EPR Properties from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and set a $58.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, August 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $56.93.

Insider Buying and Selling at EPR Properties

In related news, EVP Gregory E. Zimmerman sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.94, for a total value of $412,050.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 96,377 shares in the company, valued at $5,294,952.38. This trade represents a 7.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 2.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

EPR Properties Profile

EPR Properties NYSE: EPR is the leading diversified experiential net lease real estate investment trust (REIT), specializing in select enduring experiential properties in the real estate industry. We focus on real estate venues that create value by facilitating out of home leisure and recreation experiences where consumers choose to spend their discretionary time and money.