SG Americas Securities LLC Sells 8,248 Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT)

SG Americas Securities LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT - Free Report) by 57.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,170 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,248 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust were worth $193,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of EPRT. Selective Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Selective Wealth Management Inc. now owns 21,709 shares of the company's stock worth $673,000 after purchasing an additional 395 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 95.2% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 818 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 399 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 74.5% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,096 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 468 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 8.6% during the third quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 6,815 shares of the company's stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 542 shares during the period. Finally, Creative Planning increased its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 4.3% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 13,450 shares of the company's stock worth $459,000 after purchasing an additional 558 shares during the period. 96.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Trading Down 1.4 %

EPRT stock traded down $0.45 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $30.75. The stock had a trading volume of 1,571,938 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,023,980. The firm has a market cap of $5.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.74, a price-to-earnings-growth 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $23.58 and a 1-year high of $34.88. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $31.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $32.12.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts predict that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.295 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This is an increase from Essential Properties Realty Trust's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.84%. Essential Properties Realty Trust's payout ratio is presently 102.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on EPRT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $38.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Capital One Financial assumed coverage on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Wednesday. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $35.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Essential Properties Realty Trust currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $33.92.

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.