Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT Stock Holdings Increased by M&T Bank Corp

M&T Bank Corp lifted its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 62.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 47,772 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,312 shares during the quarter. M&T Bank Corp’s holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust were worth $1,417,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,110 shares of the company’s stock worth $122,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares in the last quarter. M&G PLC lifted its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 8.2% in the third quarter. M&G PLC now owns 6,776 shares of the company’s stock worth $203,000 after purchasing an additional 514 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 40.1% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,883 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 24.8% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,861 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 569 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 1.4% in the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 43,461 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,386,000 after purchasing an additional 598 shares in the last quarter. 96.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Essential Properties Realty Trust

In other Essential Properties Realty Trust news, VP A Joseph Peil sold 19,657 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.10, for a total transaction of $630,989.70. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 76,525 shares in the company, valued at $2,456,452.50. This trade represents a 20.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Robert Webb Salisbury sold 5,851 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.88, for a total value of $186,529.88. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 8,310 shares in the company, valued at approximately $264,922.80. This trade represents a 41.32% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.77% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Price Performance

Shares of EPRT opened at $31.41 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.79 billion, a PE ratio of 24.74, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.91. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $32.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 5.12 and a current ratio of 5.12. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a twelve month low of $28.95 and a twelve month high of $34.73.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.33 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $158.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $151.87 million. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a net margin of 43.46% and a return on equity of 6.30%. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s revenue was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.45 EPS. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.050 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.64%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EPRT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $35.00 to $37.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $36.95.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Profile

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc (NYSE: EPRT) is a self-administered real estate investment trust that acquires, owns and manages single-tenant commercial properties subject to long-term, triple-net leases. The company’s portfolio primarily consists of small-box retail and industrial assets, including convenience stores, automotive service centers, quick-service restaurants, fitness centers and other necessity-based businesses. Under a triple-net lease structure, tenants assume responsibility for property taxes, insurance and most maintenance expenses, providing Essential Properties with predictable, stable cash flows.

Since its founding in April 2016 and its initial public offering later that year, Essential Properties has pursued a growth strategy focused on partnering with creditworthy tenants operating in densely populated trade areas.