Legal & General Group Plc Raises Stock Holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

Key Points

• Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 9.0% in the fourth quarter, buying 115,768 additional shares and ending with 1,397,170 shares valued at about $41.44 million.
• Essential Properties Realty Trust reported Q1 earnings of $0.28 per share, missing analyst expectations of $0.33, even though revenue rose 22.8% year over year to $158.8 million.
• The REIT recently paid a $0.31 quarterly dividend, implying an annualized yield of about 4.0%, while Wall Street maintains a consensus Buy rating with an average price target of $36.55.

Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT - Free Report) by 9.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,397,170 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 115,768 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.71% of Essential Properties Realty Trust worth $41,440,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 82.0% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 899 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the period. First Horizon Corp grew 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 purchasing an additional 673 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 40.1% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,883 shares of the company's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust in the third quarter worth $57,000. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust in the fourth quarter worth $76,000. 96.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Trading Down 1.2%

Essential Properties Realty Trust stock opened at $30.64 on Friday. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a one year low of $28.95 and a one year high of $34.73. The business's fifty day moving average is $31.46 and its 200 day moving average is $31.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 5.12 and a quick ratio of 5.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.63 billion, a PE ratio of 24.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.91.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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). Essential Properties Realty Trust had a net margin of 43.46% and a return on equity of 6.30%. The firm had revenue of $158.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $151.87 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.45 EPS. The firm's 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, sell-side analysts predict that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.96 EPS for the current year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Robert Webb Salisbury sold 5,851 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 trade represents a 41.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP A Joseph Peil sold 19,657 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The stock was 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.77% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on EPRT. Scotiabank reduced their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $35.00 to $34.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $36.50 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut Essential Properties Realty Trust from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $36.55.

Essential Properties Realty Trust 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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