Wasatch Advisors LP Makes New $48.63 Million Investment in EPR Properties $EPR

Key Points

• Wasatch Advisors LP opened a new position in EPR Properties during the first quarter, buying 973,439 shares worth about $48.6 million and ending with roughly 1.27% ownership of the REIT.
• Other institutional investors have also been active in EPR, with firms like State Street, Norges Bank, Geode Capital, and Northern Trust increasing or initiating positions; overall, institutions now own 74.66% of the company.
• EPR Properties has seen mixed signals from insiders and analysts: insiders sold shares in recent months, while analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $61.69. The company also declared a $0.31 monthly dividend, implying a 6.2% yield.

Wasatch Advisors LP purchased a new position in EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 973,439 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $48,633,000. Wasatch Advisors LP owned approximately 1.27% of EPR Properties as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of EPR. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of EPR Properties by 1.7% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,009,669 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $234,760,000 after purchasing an additional 66,562 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in EPR Properties in the 4th quarter valued at about $82,823,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in EPR Properties by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,584,394 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $79,077,000 after buying an additional 26,590 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in EPR Properties by 84.8% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,564,309 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $90,746,000 after buying an additional 717,734 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in EPR Properties by 29.2% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,544,905 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $88,693,000 after buying an additional 348,908 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.66% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at EPR Properties

In other news, CAO Tonya L. Mater sold 2,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.50, for a total transaction of $146,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 55,859 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,156,033.50. This represents a 4.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Gwendolyn Mary Johnson sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.11, for a total value of $116,220.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 14,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at $825,917.43. This trade represents a 12.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,600 shares of company stock worth $375,120. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EPR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of EPR Properties from $54.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of EPR Properties from $59.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of EPR Properties from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Truist Financial dropped their target price on EPR Properties from $62.00 to $61.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Raymond James Financial downgraded EPR Properties from a "strong-buy" rating to an "outperform" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $62.00 to $60.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $61.69.

EPR Properties Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EPR opened at $59.57 on Friday. EPR Properties has a twelve month low of $48.10 and a twelve month high of $62.08. The company has a current ratio of 7.85, a quick ratio of 7.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The company has a market capitalization of $4.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.44, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.03. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $57.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $55.14.

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.02). EPR Properties had a net margin of 37.50% and a return on equity of 11.68%. The business had revenue of $181.25 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $150.01 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.21 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. EPR Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.370-5.530 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that EPR Properties will post 5.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

EPR Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. EPR Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 115.17%.

EPR Properties Profile

EPR Properties is a real estate investment trust that specializes in experiential properties across the United States, Canada and select international markets. Established in 1997 and headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, the company targets properties in the entertainment, recreation and education sectors. Its portfolio includes movie theaters, ski resorts, family entertainment centers, charter schools and other venues that benefit from consumer-driven experiences.

The trust employs long-term, triple-net lease agreements, where tenants are responsible for real estate taxes, insurance and maintenance.

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