Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT Shares Purchased by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Key Points

• Daiwa Securities Group dramatically increased its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust, boosting holdings by 4,681.4% in the fourth quarter to nearly 4.0 million shares valued at about $118.6 million.
• The company posted mixed recent results: quarterly EPS of $0.28 missed estimates, while revenue of $158.8 million beat expectations and rose 22.8% year over year.
• Essential Properties Realty Trust raised its quarterly dividend to $0.32 per share, implying an annualized yield of about 4.3%; meanwhile, analysts still broadly rate the stock a Buy with a consensus price target of $36.50.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT - Free Report) by 4,681.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,997,593 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,913,986 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. owned 2.02% of Essential Properties Realty Trust worth $118,569,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 195.4% during the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,970,789 shares of the company's stock worth $118,171,000 after purchasing an additional 2,626,478 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Essential Properties Realty Trust during the fourth quarter worth $68,467,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 59.9% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,803,496 shares of the company's stock worth $112,812,000 after purchasing an additional 1,425,082 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 168.5% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,212,137 shares of the company's stock worth $65,833,000 after purchasing an additional 1,388,289 shares in the last quarter. 96.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on EPRT. Truist Financial upped their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wall Street Zen lowered Essential Properties Realty Trust from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. Mizuho cut their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $36.50.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Down 0.1%

Essential Properties Realty Trust stock opened at $29.68 on Friday. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a twelve month low of $28.95 and a twelve month high of $34.73. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $31.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $31.34. The company has a current ratio of 5.12, a quick ratio of 5.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.88.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $158.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $151.87 million. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.30% and a net margin of 43.46%.The firm's revenue was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.45 EPS. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.050 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. This is a boost from Essential Properties Realty Trust's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Essential Properties Realty Trust's dividend payout ratio is currently 100.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Essential Properties Realty Trust

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

Essential Properties Realty Trust Company Profile

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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