Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Invests $2.83 Million in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

Key Points

• Louisiana State Employees Retirement System opened a new position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, buying 93,100 shares valued at about $2.83 million in the first quarter.
• The REIT reported mixed quarterly results: EPS of $0.28 came in below expectations, while revenue of $158.8 million topped estimates and rose 22.8% year over year.
• Essential Properties Realty Trust raised its quarterly dividend to $0.32 per share, and analysts currently maintain an average “Buy” rating with a price target of about $36.41.

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 93,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,827,000.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of EPRT. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake 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 valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Corp grew its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 146.9% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 1,131 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised 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 valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,382 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 1,182 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 1,009.0% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,730 shares of the company's stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 1,574 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.98% of the company's stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Trading Up 0.3%

EPRT opened at $30.70 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 one year low of $28.95 and a one year high of $34.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.17, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.88. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $30.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.23.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT - Get Free Report) last announced 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). The company had revenue of $158.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $151.87 million. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a net margin of 43.46% and a return on equity of 6.30%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.45 EPS. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.050 EPS. Analysts predict that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.97 EPS for the current year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This is a positive change from Essential Properties Realty Trust's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.2%. Essential Properties Realty Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 97.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Truist Financial upped 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. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $34.00 to $33.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $36.41.

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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