EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) Reaches New 1-Year High on Analyst Upgrade

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday after Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on the stock from $45.00 to $52.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an underweight rating on the stock. EPR Properties traded as high as $54.25 and last traded at $53.98, with a volume of 243992 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $53.20.

Several other analysts also recently commented on EPR. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of EPR Properties from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of EPR Properties in a report on Thursday, November 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $48.00 price target for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of EPR Properties from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at EPR Properties

In other EPR Properties news, SVP Gwendolyn Mary Johnson sold 3,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.02, for a total transaction of $210,678.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,216 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $443,828.32. The trade was a 32.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EPR. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in EPR Properties during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of EPR Properties during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in EPR Properties by 36.6% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,127 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in EPR Properties by 54.5% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,296 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. bought a new stake in EPR Properties in the 4th quarter worth about $60,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.66% of the company’s stock.

EPR Properties Stock Performance

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $48.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $47.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 7.81 and a current ratio of 7.81. The stock has a market cap of $3.96 billion, a PE ratio of 22.53 and a beta of 1.71.

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.56. The business had revenue of $149.12 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $161.25 million. EPR Properties had a return on equity of 8.22% and a net margin of 28.87%. Analysts expect that EPR Properties will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current year.

EPR Properties Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.295 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.80%. This is a positive change from EPR Properties’s previous monthly dividend of $0.29. EPR Properties’s dividend payout ratio is presently 221.25%.

EPR Properties Company Profile

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) is the leading diversified experiential net lease real estate investment trust (REIT), specializing in select enduring experiential properties in the real estate industry. We focus on real estate venues that create value by facilitating out of home leisure and recreation experiences where consumers choose to spend their discretionary time and money.