VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Invests $7.63 Million in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems acquired 255,589 shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust worth approximately $7.63 million, joining other institutional investors that collectively own 96.98% of the company.
• Essential Properties reported quarterly EPS of $0.34, beating estimates by $0.01, while revenue rose 18.1% year over year to $161.89 million. The company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $2.01–$2.05.
• The REIT declared a quarterly dividend of $0.32, equivalent to $1.28 annually and a 4.3% yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Buy” rating with an average price target of $36.20, compared with a recent share price of $29.88.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 255,589 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,629,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al owned 0.12% of Essential Properties Realty Trust at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanderbilt University increased its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 0.9% during the first quarter. Vanderbilt University now owns 36,078 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,095,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the period. Lido Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 9,714 shares of the company's stock valued at $292,000 after buying an additional 346 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 82.0% in 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. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 47.8% during the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,339 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 433 shares during the period. Finally, GSI Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. GSI Capital Advisors LLC now owns 147,682 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,380,000 after acquiring an additional 510 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.98% of the company's stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of EPRT opened at $29.88 on Wednesday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $31.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.16, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.85. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 52 week low of $28.95 and a 52 week high of $34.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 8.17 and a current ratio of 8.17.

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. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.34% and a net margin of 43.51%.The business had revenue of $161.89 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $156.65 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.46 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 18.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.010-2.050 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.3%. Essential Properties Realty Trust's dividend payout ratio is currently 99.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Essential Properties Realty Trust news, COO Robert M. Jenkins sold 22,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.22, for a total value of $708,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 34,168 shares in the company, 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 is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.77% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. 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 research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Scotiabank raised 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 report on Thursday, June 18th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eleven have issued a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $36.20.

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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