EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) Shares Bought by Principal Securities Inc.

Principal Securities Inc. grew its holdings in EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) by 54.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,296 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 457 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in EPR Properties were worth $57,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EPR. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of EPR Properties by 304.7% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 457,621 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $22,442,000 after purchasing an additional 344,544 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of EPR Properties by 35.7% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 673,117 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $33,010,000 after buying an additional 177,061 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in shares of EPR Properties by 398.0% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 154,198 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $7,562,000 after buying an additional 123,233 shares during the period. Eagle Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in EPR Properties during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $5,224,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in EPR Properties in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,285,000. 74.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

EPR Properties Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE EPR opened at $52.06 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 7.81, a current ratio of 7.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $46.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $46.54. EPR Properties has a 52-week low of $39.65 and a 52-week high of $53.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.54 and a beta of 1.75.

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

EPR Properties Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.295 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from EPR Properties’s previous monthly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.80%. EPR Properties’s payout ratio is 148.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 target price on shares of EPR Properties in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of EPR Properties from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of EPR Properties in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $48.00 price objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, EPR Properties currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.50.

About EPR Properties

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.