Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) Price Target Raised to $40.00

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT - Get Free Report) had its target price increased by equities researchers at UBS Group from $39.00 to $40.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the stock. UBS Group's price target points to a potential upside of 22.40% from the company's previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on EPRT. Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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. Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $28.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Wedbush began coverage on Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Monday, August 19th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $34.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $32.00 to $36.25 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $33.37.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Performance

NYSE EPRT traded down $0.38 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $32.68. The company had a trading volume of 600,809 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,342,488. Essential Properties Realty Trust has a fifty-two week low of $23.01 and a fifty-two week high of $34.51. The company has a quick ratio of 5.59, a current ratio of 5.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $5.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.37. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $32.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $30.14.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.43 by ($0.16). Essential Properties Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.20% and a net margin of 46.00%. The business had revenue of $117.13 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.73 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.42 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 27.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Essential Properties Realty Trust will post 1.68 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Essential Properties Realty Trust

In related news, CEO Peter M. Mavoides sold 27,817 shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.33, for a total value of $899,323.61. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 446,076 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,421,637.08. This trade represents a 5.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,377,389 shares of the company's stock valued at $676,561,000 after purchasing an additional 1,060,079 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 1.9% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,138,674 shares of the company's stock worth $141,336,000 after acquiring an additional 76,475 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 5.3% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,829,776 shares of the company's stock worth $96,637,000 after purchasing an additional 141,612 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 11.4% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,575,683 shares of the company's stock valued at $71,372,000 after acquiring an additional 264,052 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 33.0% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,503,405 shares of the company's stock valued at $85,491,000 after purchasing an additional 621,445 shares during the period. 96.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.