Edgestream Partners L.P. Purchases New Shares in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT)

Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 158,114 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,946,000. Edgestream Partners L.P. owned 0.09% of Essential Properties Realty Trust at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of EPRT. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 12.3% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 30,152 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,022,000 after acquiring an additional 3,309 shares during the period. Meritage Portfolio Management boosted its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 1,101.0% during the 3rd quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 168,434 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,752,000 after acquiring an additional 154,410 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP boosted its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 91.1% during the 3rd quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 20,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $700,000 after acquiring an additional 9,772 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP boosted its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 97.4% during the 3rd quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 30,997 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,059,000 after acquiring an additional 15,298 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 26.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 244,424 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,347,000 after acquiring an additional 51,196 shares during the period. 96.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EPRT opened at $32.29 on Friday. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 1-year low of $24.72 and a 1-year high of $34.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.06 billion, a PE ratio of 28.32, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.36. The business’s 50 day moving average is $31.64 and its 200-day moving average is $32.37. The company has a current ratio of 5.36, a quick ratio of 5.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.14. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.12% and a net margin of 45.15%. Sell-side analysts predict that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.295 dividend. This is an increase from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.65%. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s payout ratio is presently 103.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on EPRT shares. UBS Group raised their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Barclays cut their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Scotiabank cut their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $33.00 to $32.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 28th. B. Riley downgraded Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $29.50 to $33.50 in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Capital One Financial started coverage on Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $35.00 price objective on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.48.

Insider Transactions at Essential Properties Realty Trust

In related news, Director Stephen D. Sautel sold 12,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.54, for a total value of $406,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 178,785 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,817,663.90. This represents a 6.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Essential Properties Realty Trust

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc, a real estate company, acquires, owns, and manages single-tenant properties in the United States. The company leases its properties to middle-market companies, such as restaurants, car washes, automotive services, medical and dental services, convenience stores, equipment rental, entertainment, early childhood education, grocery, and health and fitness on a long-term basis.