GSA Capital Partners LLP Purchases New Position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

Key Points

• GSA Capital Partners acquired 217,401 shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust worth approximately $6.49 million, making EPRT its seventh-largest holding and representing about 0.10% of the REIT.
• EPRT reported quarterly revenue of $161.89 million and adjusted earnings of $0.34 per share, topping analyst expectations, while revenue rose 18.1% year over year. The company also increased its quarterly dividend to $0.32, implying a 4.1% annualized yield.
• Analysts maintain a broadly positive view, with a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $36.20 versus a recent share price of $31.05; however, the company’s COO sold 22,000 shares in July.

GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 217,401 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,489,000. Essential Properties Realty Trust makes up about 0.4% of GSA Capital Partners LLP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. GSA Capital Partners LLP owned approximately 0.10% of Essential Properties Realty Trust as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 82.0% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 899 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Corp lifted its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 146.9% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 1,131 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 673 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 47.8% during the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,339 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 433 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 664.4% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,382 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 273.6% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,614 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,182 shares during the period. 96.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Essential Properties Realty Trust news, COO Robert M. Jenkins sold 22,000 shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock in a transaction on Friday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.22, for a total value of $708,840.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 34,168 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,100,892.96. The trade was a 39.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.77% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Performance

EPRT stock opened at $31.05 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.07, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.86. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $31.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.51. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a one year low of $28.95 and a one year high of $34.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 8.17 and a current ratio of 8.17.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.01. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a net margin of 43.51% and a return on equity of 6.34%. The business had revenue of $161.89 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $156.65 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.46 EPS. The company's revenue was up 18.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.010-2.050 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. This is a positive change from Essential Properties Realty Trust's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. Essential Properties Realty Trust's payout ratio is 99.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EPRT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $36.25 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $40.00 to $37.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $36.20.

About Essential Properties Realty Trust

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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