Handelsbanken Fonder AB Reduces Stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lessened its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT - Free Report) by 3.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 654,300 shares of the company's stock after selling 20,000 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned approximately 0.35% of Essential Properties Realty Trust worth $21,356,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 237.5% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 20,825 shares of the company's stock worth $680,000 after buying an additional 14,655 shares in the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 4.4% during the first quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 69,686 shares of the company's stock worth $2,275,000 after purchasing an additional 2,920 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 33.5% in the 1st quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 38,912 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,270,000 after acquiring an additional 9,762 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 3,315.8% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 134,412 shares of the company's stock worth $4,118,000 after purchasing an additional 130,477 shares during the period. Finally, Franchise Capital Ltd acquired a new position in Essential Properties Realty Trust in the first quarter valued at about $42,000. 96.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on EPRT. Scotiabank upped their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. B. Riley cut Essential Properties Realty Trust from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price target for the company from $29.50 to $33.50 in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $37.00 target price (up previously from $35.00) on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Truist Financial increased their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $40.00 to $37.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Essential Properties Realty Trust presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $34.91.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Price Performance

Shares of EPRT traded down $0.23 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $32.51. The stock had a trading volume of 1,896,951 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,448,413. The company has a market capitalization of $6.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.10. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 12-month low of $26.75 and a 12-month high of $34.88. The company's 50-day moving average is $31.75 and its 200 day moving average is $31.91. The company has a current ratio of 5.36, a quick ratio of 5.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.01). Essential Properties Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.12% and a net margin of 45.15%. The business had revenue of $129.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $124.88 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.42 earnings per share. Essential Properties Realty Trust's quarterly revenue was up 24.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. This is a boost from Essential Properties Realty Trust's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Essential Properties Realty Trust's dividend payout ratio is 104.35%.

Insider Transactions at Essential Properties Realty Trust

In other Essential Properties Realty Trust news, VP A Joseph Peil sold 13,227 shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.96, for a total value of $435,961.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 76,590 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,524,406.40. The trade was a 14.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.77% of the company's stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust 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.