Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) Shares Bought by Federated Hermes Inc.

Federated Hermes Inc. increased its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 87.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 179,539 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 83,925 shares during the quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. owned about 0.10% of Essential Properties Realty Trust worth $4,975,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of EPRT. Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Heritage Wealth Advisors raised its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 71.4% during the fourth quarter. Heritage Wealth Advisors now owns 1,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. CWM LLC boosted its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 122.9% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,244 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 686 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 116.4% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,945 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 1,046 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EPRT opened at $33.65 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $30.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.99. The company has a market cap of $5.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.37. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 12-month low of $20.49 and a 12-month high of $33.95. The company has a quick ratio of 4.90, a current ratio of 4.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.42 by ($0.13). Essential Properties Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.28% and a net margin of 48.12%. The business had revenue of $109.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $102.99 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.41 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 26.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 11th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 94.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on EPRT shares. Raymond James upped their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $28.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Friday, June 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $33.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.81.

Insider Activity at Essential Properties Realty Trust

In other Essential Properties Realty Trust news, CEO Peter M. Mavoides sold 1,200 shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.00, for a total transaction of $33,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 513,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,371,392. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, CEO Peter M. Mavoides sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.00, for a total transaction of $33,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 513,264 shares in the company, valued at $14,371,392. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Peter M. Mavoides sold 27,817 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.33, for a total value of $899,323.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 446,076 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,421,637.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 62,592 shares of company stock valued at $1,863,808. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

About Essential Properties Realty Trust

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.