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

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR - Get Free Report) saw a large growth in short interest in 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 trading volume of 668,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.3 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EPR has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of EPR Properties from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on EPR Properties from $45.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on EPR Properties from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $50.75.

EPR Properties Price Performance

NYSE:EPR traded down $0.26 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $51.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,119,108 shares, compared to its average volume of 559,962. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $49.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $47.27. The company has a market capitalization of $3.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.23 and a beta of 1.72. EPR Properties has a twelve month low of $39.66 and a twelve month high of $54.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 7.81 and a quick ratio of 7.81.

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EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.56. The company had revenue of $149.12 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $161.25 million. EPR Properties had a net margin of 28.87% and a return on equity of 8.22%. On average, analysts anticipate that EPR Properties will post 4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

EPR Properties Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.295 per share. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is an increase from EPR Properties's previous monthly dividend of $0.29. EPR Properties's payout ratio is presently 221.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other EPR Properties news, CAO Tonya L. Mater sold 3,120 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.90, for a total value of $161,928.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 46,827 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,430,321.30. This represents a 6.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Gwendolyn Mary Johnson sold 3,900 shares of EPR Properties stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,216 shares of the company's stock, valued at $443,828.32. This represents a 32.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, 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

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in EPR Properties in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in EPR Properties in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in EPR Properties by 36.6% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,127 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in EPR Properties by 54.5% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,296 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. bought a new position in shares of EPR Properties in the fourth quarter worth approximately $60,000. Institutional investors own 74.66% of the company's stock.

EPR Properties Company Profile

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.