Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Boosts Stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its stake in Essential Properties (NYSE:EPRT) by 14.9% to 975,355 shares, representing about 0.49% ownership and valued at roughly $29.05 million at quarter end.
• Essential Properties reported Q EPS of $0.28, missing the $0.33 consensus while revenue rose 22.8% YoY to $158.8 million, and management set FY2026 guidance of 2.00–2.05 EPS.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish with an average Buy rating and $36.95 target after multiple price-target increases, and the company pays a $0.31 quarterly dividend (annualized yield ~3.9%) with a payout ratio near 97%.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT - Free Report) by 14.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 975,355 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 126,372 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.49% of Essential Properties Realty Trust worth $29,051,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in EPRT. First Horizon Corp lifted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in the third quarter worth about $46,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 54.2% in the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,867 shares of the company's stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 656 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position 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 worth $56,000 after buying an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in the third quarter worth about $57,000. 96.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Mizuho boosted their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $33.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $36.95.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP A Joseph Peil sold 19,657 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president owned 76,525 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,456,452.50. This represents a 20.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Robert Webb Salisbury sold 5,851 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.88, for a total value of $186,529.88. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 8,310 shares in the company, valued at approximately $264,922.80. This represents a 41.32% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.77% of the company's stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE EPRT opened at $31.52 on Friday. The business's 50 day moving average is $32.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 6.37 and a quick ratio of 6.37. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 1-year low of $28.95 and a 1-year high of $34.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.82, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.99.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by ($0.05). The business 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 6.48%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.45 EPS. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.050 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.97 EPS for the current year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. Essential Properties Realty Trust's dividend payout ratio is currently 96.88%.

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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