Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Takes $2.11 Million Position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT)

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 67,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,111,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 74.5% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,096 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 468 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 1,834.4% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,180 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 1,119 shares during the period. Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 439.4% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,451 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 1,182 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 275.5% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,456 shares of the company's stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 1,802 shares during the period. 96.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Trading Up 0.9%

EPRT traded up $0.28 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $32.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,286,197 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,432,376. The company has a current ratio of 5.36, a quick ratio of 5.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 52-week low of $26.07 and a 52-week high of $34.88. The firm has a market cap of $6.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.32, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.09. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $31.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $31.95.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $129.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $124.88 million. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a net margin of 45.15% and a return on equity of 6.12%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 24.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.42 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.295 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.65%. Essential Properties Realty Trust's dividend payout ratio is currently 102.61%.

Insider Activity at Essential Properties Realty Trust

In other news, Director Stephen D. Sautel sold 12,500 shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.54, for a total transaction of $406,750.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 178,785 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,817,663.90. This trade represents a 6.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.77% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $40.00 to $37.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. B. Riley lowered shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $29.50 to $33.50 in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Capital One Financial assumed coverage on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $35.00 target price for the company. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $34.77.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Company Profile

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc, a real estate company, acquires, owns, and manages single-tenant properties in the United States. The company leases its properties to middle-market companies, such as restaurants, car washes, automotive services, medical and dental services, convenience stores, equipment rental, entertainment, early childhood education, grocery, and health and fitness on a long-term basis.