Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Takes $4.83 Million Position in EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR)

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 109,000 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $4,827,000. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC owned 0.14% of EPR Properties at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in EPR Properties by 14.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 40,647 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,993,000 after purchasing an additional 5,184 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of EPR Properties by 36.6% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,127 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of EPR Properties by 35.7% in the 4th quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 18,235 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $808,000 after purchasing an additional 4,794 shares during the period. Teamwork Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in EPR Properties in the fourth quarter worth $473,000. Finally, Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in EPR Properties by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 146,032 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $6,466,000 after buying an additional 8,102 shares during the period. 74.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

EPR Properties Price Performance

EPR stock traded up $0.48 during trading on Friday, reaching $54.18. The company's stock had a trading volume of 692,150 shares, compared to its average volume of 609,310. The company has a quick ratio of 7.81, a current ratio of 7.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The company's fifty day moving average is $49.98 and its 200-day moving average is $47.69. The company has a market capitalization of $4.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.46 and a beta of 1.26. EPR Properties has a 1 year low of $39.87 and a 1 year high of $54.25.

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $146.36 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $155.46 million. EPR Properties had a net margin of 28.87% and a return on equity of 8.22%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.12 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that EPR Properties will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

EPR Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a may 25 dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $0.295 per share. This represents a yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. EPR Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 217.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of EPR Properties from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on EPR Properties from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of EPR Properties from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of EPR Properties from $45.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of EPR Properties from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $52.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other EPR Properties news, SVP Brian Andrew Moriarty sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.99, for a total value of $129,975.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 15,299 shares of the company's stock, valued at $795,395.01. This represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Tonya L. Mater sold 3,120 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.90, for a total transaction of $161,928.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 46,827 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,430,321.30. The trade was a 6.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,520 shares of company stock valued at $502,581. Company insiders own 2.31% of the company's stock.

About EPR Properties

EPR Properties NYSE: EPR is the leading diversified experiential net lease real estate investment trust (REIT), specializing in select enduring experiential properties in the real estate industry. We focus on real estate venues that create value by facilitating out of home leisure and recreation experiences where consumers choose to spend their discretionary time and money.