Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $34.25.

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $38.00 target price for the company. Capital One Financial started coverage on Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Wednesday. They set an "overweight" rating and a $35.00 price target on the stock. Scotiabank increased their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of 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.

Institutional Trading of Essential Properties Realty Trust

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,076,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 19.8% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,526,025 shares of the company's stock valued at $79,014,000 after purchasing an additional 417,443 shares during the period. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 439.4% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,451 shares of the company's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 1,182 shares in the last quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust during the fourth quarter worth $599,000. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust during the fourth quarter valued at $6,210,000. 96.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Performance

Essential Properties Realty Trust stock traded up $0.14 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $31.26. The stock had a trading volume of 1,113,722 shares, compared to its average volume of 837,843. The firm's fifty day moving average is $31.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $32.12. Essential Properties Realty Trust has a 52-week low of $23.58 and a 52-week high of $34.88. The company has a market capitalization of $5.48 billion, a PE ratio of 27.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a current ratio of 5.59, a quick ratio of 5.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.14. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a net margin of 46.00% and a return on equity of 6.20%. On average, research analysts forecast that Essential Properties Realty Trust will post 1.68 EPS for the current year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.295 dividend. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.77%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This is a boost from Essential Properties Realty Trust's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Essential Properties Realty Trust's payout ratio is 102.61%.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Company Profile

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.