EPR Properties $EPR Shares Sold by VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems reduced its EPR Properties stake by 40.2% in the third quarter, selling 32,801 shares and retaining 48,832 shares worth approximately $2.74 million. Institutional investors collectively own 74.66% of the REIT.
• EPR Properties reported quarterly EPS of $1.22, beating estimates of $0.83, while revenue rose 12% year over year to $204.1 million. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $65.14.
• The company declared a monthly dividend of $0.31 per share, equivalent to $3.72 annually and a 6.2% yield, although its payout ratio stands above 100% at 105.08%.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al trimmed its stake in EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR - Free Report) by 40.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 48,832 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 32,801 shares during the quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al owned approximately 0.06% of EPR Properties worth $2,741,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of EPR Properties by 20.9% during the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 1,572,738 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $78,574,000 after buying an additional 272,335 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in EPR Properties in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $63,487,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in EPR Properties by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,131,680 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $56,537,000 after buying an additional 26,506 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in EPR Properties by 12.7% in the 1st quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 335,470 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $16,772,000 after acquiring an additional 37,710 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in EPR Properties by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 260,615 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $15,118,000 after acquiring an additional 4,119 shares during the period. 74.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Elizabeth Grace sold 4,200 shares of EPR Properties stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.57, for a total value of $254,394.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 22,427 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,358,403.39. The trade was a 15.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EPR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of EPR Properties in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of EPR Properties in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of EPR Properties from $65.00 to $63.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on EPR Properties from $70.50 to $67.50 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on EPR Properties from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $65.14.

EPR Properties Price Performance

NYSE:EPR opened at $59.68 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $4.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.15, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.03. EPR Properties has a one year low of $48.10 and a one year high of $64.97. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $57.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $57.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 9.51 and a quick ratio of 9.51.

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $204.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $169.74 million. EPR Properties had a return on equity of 12.80% and a net margin of 38.83%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.37 EPS. Analysts anticipate that EPR Properties will post 5.38 earnings per share for the current year.

EPR Properties Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, November 30th will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 30th. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.2%. EPR Properties's dividend payout ratio is 105.08%.

About EPR Properties

EPR Properties NYSE: EPR is a specialty real estate investment trust that owns and leases experiential real estate. The company focuses on properties designed for entertainment, recreation and leisure activities, including movie theaters, ski resorts, waterparks, attractions, fitness and wellness facilities, and other destination-based venues.

EPR generally leases its properties to operators under long-term, often triple-net lease agreements, under which tenants are typically responsible for property-level operating expenses, maintenance, taxes and insurance.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.