Seven Grand Managers LLC Buys Shares of 200,000 Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

Key Points

• Seven Grand Managers LLC initiated a new position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, buying 200,000 shares worth about $5.93 million in the fourth quarter. The stake represented roughly 0.10% of the REIT.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with hedge funds and other investors holding 96.98% of the company’s stock. Several firms also increased their positions, while insiders sold shares recently.
• Essential Properties Realty Trust reported quarterly EPS of $0.28, missing estimates, even though revenue rose 22.8% year over year to $158.8 million. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.31 per share, implying a 4.0% yield.

Seven Grand Managers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 200,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,932,000. Seven Grand Managers LLC owned about 0.10% of Essential Properties Realty Trust at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 82.0% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 899 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,110 shares of the company's stock valued at $122,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S increased its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 26.3% in the fourth quarter. Danske Bank A S now owns 2,400 shares of the company's stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. M&G PLC increased its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 8.2% in the third quarter. M&G PLC now owns 6,776 shares of the company's stock valued at $203,000 after purchasing an additional 514 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.98% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on EPRT. Wall Street Zen cut Essential Properties Realty Trust from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $36.50 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. UBS Group increased their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $36.55.

Insider Buying and Selling at Essential Properties Realty Trust

In other news, VP A Joseph Peil sold 19,657 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.10, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Robert Webb Salisbury sold 5,851 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 approximately $264,922.80. This represents a 41.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.77% of the company's stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Price Performance

EPRT stock opened at $31.32 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $31.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.37. The company has a quick ratio of 5.12, a current ratio of 5.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market cap of $6.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.91. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 52-week low of $28.95 and a 52-week high of $34.73.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.33 by ($0.05). Essential Properties Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.30% and a net margin of 43.46%.The business had revenue of $158.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $151.87 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.45 EPS. Essential Properties Realty Trust'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. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

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

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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