Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Lowers Stock Holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System cut its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 0.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 56,222 shares of the company’s stock after selling 484 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust were worth $1,398,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Heritage Wealth Advisors grew its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 71.4% in the fourth quarter. Heritage Wealth Advisors now owns 1,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Essential Properties Realty Trust during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 666.8% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,492 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 2,167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 15.5% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 6,567 shares of the company’s stock worth $168,000 after purchasing an additional 881 shares during the period. 96.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on EPRT. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. UBS Group began coverage on Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Friday, May 31st. They set a “buy” rating and a $30.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $27.00 to $27.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Friday, June 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $33.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $29.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Essential Properties Realty Trust news, Director Stephen D. Sautel sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.09, for a total value of $677,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 247,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,704,558.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Essential Properties Realty Trust news, CEO Peter M. Mavoides sold 20,863 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.54, for a total transaction of $574,567.02. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 514,464 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,168,338.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Stephen D. Sautel sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.09, for a total transaction of $677,250.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 247,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,704,558.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 47,063 shares of company stock valued at $1,285,417 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE:EPRT traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $27.93. The stock had a trading volume of 60,512 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,382,985. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $27.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $25.93. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 1-year low of $20.49 and a 1-year high of $28.18. The company has a current ratio of 7.61, a quick ratio of 7.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market cap of $4.90 billion, a PE ratio of 22.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.35.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 12th. Investors of record on Friday, June 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.15%. This is a positive change from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 28th. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.31%.

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.