Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT – Get Rating) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $25.39.

EPRT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Mizuho increased their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 9th. Raymond James raised their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 19th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $27.00 to $29.00 in a report on Monday, February 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $26.25 to $26.50 in a report on Thursday, February 16th.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Performance

NYSE:EPRT opened at $24.29 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.51 billion, a PE ratio of 24.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.28. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $24.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $22.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 5.13 and a quick ratio of 5.13. Essential Properties Realty Trust has a 12 month low of $18.88 and a 12 month high of $26.75.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.275 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 30th. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.53%. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 111.11%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essential Properties Realty Trust

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EPRT. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC boosted its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 49.1% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 10,705 shares of the company’s stock worth $271,000 after buying an additional 3,525 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 55.0% in the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 65,949 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,669,000 after purchasing an additional 23,396 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 2.3% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 357,906 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,055,000 after purchasing an additional 8,022 shares during the period. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can lifted its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 1.5% in the first quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 172,313 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,470,000 after purchasing an additional 2,608 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 4.1% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,944,341 shares of the company’s stock valued at $504,592,000 after purchasing an additional 788,670 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.19% of the company’s stock.

About Essential Properties Realty Trust

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Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc engages in the acquisition, ownership, and management of single-tenant properties that are net leased on a long-term basis. Its portfolio includes the following: Captain D’s, Art Van Furniture, Mister and Zips Car Wash, AMC Theaters, Perkins, 84 Lumber, Mirabito, Ruby Tuesday, and White Oak Station.