Barclays Cuts Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) Price Target to $37.00

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) had its price target reduced by Barclays from $40.00 to $37.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on EPRT. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 20th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $34.00 to $33.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $36.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eleven have issued a Buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Essential Properties Realty Trust has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $36.11.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Performance

EPRT stock opened at $32.34 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 8.17, a quick ratio of 5.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market cap of $6.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.88. Essential Properties Realty Trust has a 12-month low of $28.95 and a 12-month high of $34.73. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $30.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $31.42.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $161.89 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $156.65 million. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.34% and a net margin of 43.51%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.46 earnings per share. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.010-2.050 EPS. As a group, 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This is a positive change from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 99.22%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essential Properties Realty Trust

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanderbilt University boosted its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 0.9% in the first quarter. Vanderbilt University now owns 36,078 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,095,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Lido Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 9,714 shares of the company’s stock worth $292,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 82.0% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 899 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 47.8% in the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,339 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 433 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,110 shares of the company’s stock worth $122,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Company 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.