Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.33 by ($0.05), FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $158.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $151.87 million. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a net margin of 43.46% and a return on equity of 6.48%. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s quarterly revenue was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.45 earnings per share. Essential Properties Realty Trust updated its FY 2026 guidance to 2.000-2.050 EPS.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock opened at $31.52 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $32.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $31.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.82, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.99. Essential Properties Realty Trust has a 12-month low of $28.95 and a 12-month high of $34.73. The company has a current ratio of 6.37, a quick ratio of 6.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 96.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on EPRT. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Truist Financial raised their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $35.00 to $37.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. One research 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $36.95.

Insider Buying and Selling at Essential Properties Realty Trust

In other news, CFO Robert Webb Salisbury sold 5,851 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.88, for a total value of $186,529.88. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 8,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $264,922.80. This represents a 41.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP A Joseph Peil sold 19,657 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.10, for a total transaction of $630,989.70. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 76,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,456,452.50. This trade represents a 20.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.77% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essential Properties Realty Trust

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 1,009.0% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,730 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 1,574 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust in the third quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $99,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd increased its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 27.8% in the third quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,861 shares of the company’s stock valued at $115,000 after buying an additional 840 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FORA Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in the third quarter valued at approximately $220,000. 96.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Essential Properties Realty Trust

Here are the key news stories impacting Essential Properties Realty Trust this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat on core results — EPRT reported $0.50 EPS (beats consensus) and revenue of $158.8M (+22.8% YoY), and management posted FFO that topped estimates, showing operating strength this quarter. Business Wire: Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: FFO beat — Zacks and company disclosures show quarterly FFO of ~$0.50, above consensus and last year’s $0.45, supporting the view of improving cash flow per share. Zacks: FFO Beat
• Positive Sentiment: FY‑2026 EPS guidance raised — the company provided FY‑2026 EPS guidance of 2.00–2.05, above prior consensus, which signals management expects continued earnings growth. Business Wire: Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Active deployment — EPRT invested ~$388.6M across 126 properties in Q1 at a weighted cash cap rate ~7.7%, showing growth through acquisitions but also capital deployment that increases asset base and leverage considerations. Business Wire: Operations
• Negative Sentiment: AFFO guidance disappointed — investors focused on management’s AFFO outlook (a key REIT cash metric) which came in below Street expectations, and that shortfall appears to have driven the negative market reaction despite the earnings beat. Seeking Alpha: AFFO Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and volume — heavy trading on the news suggests profit-taking and repositioning by investors who favor AFFO-driven REIT valuations; expect short-term volatility as analysts reconcile EPS/FFO beats with AFFO guidance. Yahoo: Earnings Transcript

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.