EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) Short Interest Up 10.3% in August

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,900,000 shares, an increase of 10.3% from the August 15th total of 2,630,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 585,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.0 days. Approximately 3.9% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on EPR shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of EPR Properties from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of EPR Properties from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of EPR Properties in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on EPR Properties from $42.50 to $47.50 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on EPR Properties from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $48.06.

EPR Properties Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EPR traded up $0.14 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $48.64. 523,383 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 610,471. The company has a quick ratio of 11.12, a current ratio of 11.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. EPR Properties has a 52 week low of $39.65 and a 52 week high of $49.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.68 billion, a PE ratio of 23.88 and a beta of 1.75. The company’s 50 day moving average is $45.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.84.

EPR Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.285 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $3.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.03%. EPR Properties’s payout ratio is 168.47%.

Insider Activity at EPR Properties

In other news, CAO Tonya L. Mater sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.00, for a total transaction of $46,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 42,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,964,660. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other EPR Properties news, SVP Gwendolyn Mary Johnson sold 592 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.82, for a total transaction of $25,941.44. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 5,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $253,279.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Tonya L. Mater sold 1,000 shares of EPR Properties stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.00, for a total transaction of $46,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 42,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,964,660. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On EPR Properties

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its position in EPR Properties by 31.6% during the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 7,903 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $383,000 after purchasing an additional 1,899 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of EPR Properties during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of EPR Properties by 16.1% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 14,293 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $692,000 after buying an additional 1,984 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in EPR Properties by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,061,160 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $51,414,000 after buying an additional 3,162 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in EPR Properties in the fourth quarter valued at about $225,000. 74.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.