Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT Stock Position Lifted by Hudson Bay Capital Management LP

Hudson Bay Capital Management LP lifted its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 18.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 671,913 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 106,783 shares during the quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP’s holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust were worth $19,996,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in EPRT. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL raised its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 1,187,088 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,328,000 after acquiring an additional 25,349 shares in the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in Essential Properties Realty Trust during the third quarter worth $267,000. Cambria Investment Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 15.6% in the third quarter. Cambria Investment Management L.P. now owns 18,340 shares of the company’s stock worth $546,000 after purchasing an additional 2,475 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 39.8% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,290,212 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,157,000 after purchasing an additional 651,782 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust during the third quarter valued at $631,000. 96.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on EPRT. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $35.00 to $37.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $36.60.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EPRT opened at $32.74 on Thursday. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 1-year low of $27.44 and a 1-year high of $34.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 6.37 and a quick ratio of 6.37. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $31.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $30.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.87 billion, a PE ratio of 25.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.95.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 96.88%.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Profile

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc (NYSE: EPRT) is a self-administered real estate investment trust that acquires, owns and manages single-tenant commercial properties subject to long-term, triple-net leases. The company’s portfolio primarily consists of small-box retail and industrial assets, including convenience stores, automotive service centers, quick-service restaurants, fitness centers and other necessity-based businesses. Under a triple-net lease structure, tenants assume responsibility for property taxes, insurance and most maintenance expenses, providing Essential Properties with predictable, stable cash flows.

Since its founding in April 2016 and its initial public offering later that year, Essential Properties has pursued a growth strategy focused on partnering with creditworthy tenants operating in densely populated trade areas.