Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) Stake Cut by Strs Ohio

Strs Ohio lessened its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT - Free Report) by 22.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 312,560 shares of the company's stock after selling 91,600 shares during the period. Strs Ohio owned approximately 0.19% of Essential Properties Realty Trust worth $7,989,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 998.8% during the 2nd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,571 shares of the company's stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 3,246 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming boosted its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 367.7% during the 2nd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 5,655 shares of the company's stock worth $133,000 after acquiring an additional 4,446 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust during the 2nd quarter worth $137,000. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 15.5% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 7,848 shares of the company's stock valued at $170,000 after buying an additional 1,052 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust during the 1st quarter valued at $212,000. Institutional investors own 96.98% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on EPRT. B. Riley restated a "buy" rating and set a $29.00 target price (up previously from $27.50) on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $25.00 to $28.50 in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $29.00 price target on the stock. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $28.22.

Insider Transactions at Essential Properties Realty Trust

In other news, CEO Peter M. Mavoides sold 9,188 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.01, for a total value of $238,979.88. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 554,904 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,433,053.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO Peter M. Mavoides sold 9,188 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.01, for a total value of $238,979.88. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 554,904 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,433,053.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Peter M. Mavoides sold 17,618 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.90, for a total transaction of $438,688.20. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 353,303 shares in the company, valued at $8,797,244.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 44,524 shares of company stock worth $1,113,438 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.81% of the company's stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Price Performance

Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock traded up $0.25 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $25.16. The company's stock had a trading volume of 866,086 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,347,174. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $25.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $24.29. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a one year low of $20.49 and a one year high of $26.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 5.01 and a quick ratio of 5.01. The stock has a market cap of $4.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.27.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 29th were issued a $0.285 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $1.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.53%. Essential Properties Realty Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 91.94%.

About Essential Properties Realty Trust

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.