EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 2,850,000 shares, a growth of 20.3% from the February 13th total of 2,370,000 shares. Approximately 3.8% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 668,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.3 days.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Gwendolyn Mary Johnson sold 3,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.02, for a total value of $210,678.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,216 shares in the company, valued at approximately $443,828.32. The trade was a 32.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Brian Andrew Moriarty sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.99, for a total value of $129,975.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 15,299 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $795,395.01. This trade represents a 14.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,520 shares of company stock valued at $502,581. 2.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of EPR. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of EPR Properties in the 4th quarter valued at $302,313,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in EPR Properties in the fourth quarter valued at $41,148,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in EPR Properties by 304.7% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 457,621 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $22,442,000 after purchasing an additional 344,544 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in EPR Properties by 44.6% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,085,947 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $48,086,000 after purchasing an additional 334,943 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in EPR Properties in the fourth quarter valued at $13,145,000. 74.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EPR has been the subject of several recent research reports. Truist Financial boosted their price target on EPR Properties from $46.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on EPR Properties from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on EPR Properties from $45.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on EPR Properties from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, EPR Properties presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.75.

EPR Properties Price Performance

Shares of EPR traded down $0.14 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $51.80. The stock had a trading volume of 496,722 shares, compared to its average volume of 560,799. EPR Properties has a 12 month low of $39.66 and a 12 month high of $54.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.94 billion, a PE ratio of 22.42 and a beta of 1.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 7.81 and a current ratio of 7.81. The company’s 50-day moving average is $48.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.18.

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.56. EPR Properties had a return on equity of 8.22% and a net margin of 28.87%. The company had revenue of $149.12 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $161.25 million. Research analysts expect that EPR Properties will post 4.65 EPS for the current year.

EPR Properties Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.295 dividend. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.83%. This is a boost from EPR Properties’s previous monthly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. EPR Properties’s dividend payout ratio is presently 221.25%.

About EPR Properties

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) is the leading diversified experiential net lease real estate investment trust (REIT), specializing in select enduring experiential properties in the real estate industry. We focus on real estate venues that create value by facilitating out of home leisure and recreation experiences where consumers choose to spend their discretionary time and money.