Kennedy Capital Management LLC Acquires 65,141 Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

Kennedy Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 12.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 582,586 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 65,141 shares during the quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust were worth $17,280,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 59.9% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,803,496 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,812,000 after purchasing an additional 1,425,082 shares during the period. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 104.9% in the third quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 60,838 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,811,000 after purchasing an additional 31,143 shares during the period. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC increased its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 225.6% in the third quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC now owns 700,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,832,000 after purchasing an additional 485,000 shares during the period. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. increased its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 22.7% in the third quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 2,934,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,323,000 after purchasing an additional 542,275 shares during the period. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 975,355 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,051,000 after purchasing an additional 126,372 shares during the period. 96.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Essential Properties Realty Trust

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wall Street Zen lowered Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $36.50.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Trading Up 1.7%

NYSE:EPRT opened at $30.86 on Friday. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $28.95 and a fifty-two week high of $34.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 5.12 and a quick ratio of 5.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.67 billion, a PE ratio of 24.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.88. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $31.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $31.32.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last released 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). Essential Properties Realty Trust had a net margin of 43.46% and a return on equity of 6.30%. The business had revenue of $158.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $151.87 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.45 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.050 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This is a positive change from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 100.79%.

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.