Pensionfund DSM Netherlands Lowers Stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT)

Pensionfund DSM Netherlands decreased its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 23.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 65,500 shares of the company’s stock after selling 20,000 shares during the quarter. Essential Properties Realty Trust makes up 1.3% of Pensionfund DSM Netherlands’ portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Pensionfund DSM Netherlands’ holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust were worth $2,049,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 29.2% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,646,742 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,631,000 after buying an additional 372,040 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 26.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 244,424 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,347,000 after acquiring an additional 51,196 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 33.0% during the 3rd 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. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 118.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 297,989 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,176,000 after purchasing an additional 161,697 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,138,674 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,336,000 after purchasing an additional 76,475 shares during the period. 96.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on EPRT shares. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $38.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $33.91.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EPRT traded down $0.02 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $31.47. 85,742 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 857,898. 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 50-day simple moving average of $32.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.59. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a twelve month low of $23.58 and a twelve month high of $34.88. The firm has a market cap of $5.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.37, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.39.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $117.13 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.73 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.42 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 27.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a $0.295 dividend. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.75%. This is a positive change from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently 102.61%.

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.