Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) Cut to “Sell” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on EPRT. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $36.25 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Mizuho dropped their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Weiss Ratings raised Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Scotiabank raised Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $34.00 to $33.00 in a report on Thursday, June 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eleven have issued a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $36.20.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Price Performance

EPRT opened at $30.99 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 8.17 and a current ratio of 8.17. Essential Properties Realty Trust has a 52-week low of $28.95 and a 52-week high of $34.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.70 billion, a PE ratio of 24.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.86. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $31.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.55.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.01. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a net margin of 43.51% and a return on equity of 6.34%. The firm had revenue of $161.89 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $156.65 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.46 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.010-2.050 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Essential Properties Realty Trust will post 1.97 EPS for the current year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This is an increase from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s payout ratio is 99.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Robert M. Jenkins sold 22,000 shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.22, for a total transaction of $708,840.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 34,168 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,100,892.96. This trade represents a 39.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.77% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essential Properties Realty Trust

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strs Ohio raised its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 28.0% in the fourth quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 719,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,343,000 after purchasing an additional 157,600 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 1,930,360.7% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,737,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $199,829,000 after buying an additional 6,736,959 shares in the last quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. grew its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 111.6% during the 4th quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 18,611,967 shares of the company’s stock valued at $552,031,000 after acquiring an additional 9,816,042 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,397,170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,440,000 after purchasing an additional 115,768 shares during the period. Finally, Kennedy Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 582,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,280,000 after acquiring an additional 65,141 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

About Essential Properties Realty Trust

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.