Handelsbanken Fonder AB Trims Stock Position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

Key Points

• Handelsbanken Fonder AB cut its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 89% in the fourth quarter, selling 683,400 shares and leaving it with 84,700 shares valued at about $2.5 million.
• The REIT reported mixed quarterly results, with EPS of $0.28 missing estimates of $0.33, while revenue of $158.8 million topped expectations and rose 22.8% year over year.
• Essential Properties Realty Trust continues to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.31 per share, equal to an annualized yield of 4.0%, while analysts currently maintain a consensus Buy rating with an average target price of $36.55.

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lowered its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT - Free Report) by 89.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 84,700 shares of the company's stock after selling 683,400 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB's holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust were worth $2,512,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Horizon Corp increased its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 146.9% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 1,131 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 40.1% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,883 shares of the company's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust during the 3rd quarter valued at about $57,000. Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust in the 4th quarter worth approximately $76,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 24.8% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,861 shares of the company's stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 569 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.98% of the company's stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of EPRT opened at $31.38 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 5.12 and a quick ratio of 5.12. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 1 year low of $28.95 and a 1 year high of $34.73. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $31.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.33. The firm has a market cap of $6.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.91.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by ($0.05). Essential Properties Realty Trust had a net margin of 43.46% and a return on equity of 6.30%. The company had revenue of $158.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $151.87 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.45 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.050 EPS. On average, 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 Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. Essential Properties Realty Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on EPRT shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Essential Properties Realty Trust currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $36.55.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Essential Properties Realty Trust news, VP A Joseph Peil sold 19,657 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.10, for a total transaction of $630,989.70. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 76,525 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,456,452.50. This trade represents a 20.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Robert Webb Salisbury sold 5,851 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.88, for a total transaction of $186,529.88. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 8,310 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $264,922.80. This trade represents a 41.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company 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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