Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Takes Position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

Key Points

• Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired 252,533 shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust worth approximately $7.54 million, giving it a 0.12% stake. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 96.98% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with an average “Buy” rating and a $36.20 price target, despite one downgrade to “Sell.” Recent target changes included increases from Cantor Fitzgerald and Stifel Nicolaus, while Barclays lowered its target to $37.
• Essential Properties exceeded quarterly expectations with $0.34 in EPS versus $0.33 expected and revenue of $161.89 million, up 18.1% year over year. The stock opened at $30.12, while COO Robert Jenkins recently sold 22,000 shares for about $708,840.

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 252,533 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,538,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio owned 0.12% of Essential Properties Realty Trust at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 405 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 47.8% in the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,339 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 433 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in the second quarter worth $41,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 664.4% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,382 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised 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 worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,182 shares during the last quarter. 96.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on EPRT shares. Weiss Ratings raised Essential Properties Realty Trust from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $36.25 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 22nd. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $40.00 to $37.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. 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, Essential Properties Realty Trust presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $36.20.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE EPRT opened at $30.12 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.86. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $31.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $31.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 8.17 and a quick ratio of 8.17. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a one year low of $28.95 and a one year high of $34.73.

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

Insider Activity

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

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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