Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) CFO Robert Webb Salisbury Sells 5,851 Shares

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) CFO Robert Webb Salisbury sold 5,851 shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.88, for a total value of $186,529.88. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 8,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $264,922.80. This trade represents a 41.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Price Performance

Shares of EPRT stock opened at $31.35 on Tuesday. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a twelve month low of $27.44 and a twelve month high of $34.73. The company has a current ratio of 6.37, a quick ratio of 6.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $32.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $30.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.95.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s payout ratio is presently 96.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on EPRT. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $35.00 to $37.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $36.60.

Institutional Trading of Essential Properties Realty Trust

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Lido Advisors LLC raised its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 9,714 shares of the company’s stock valued at $292,000 after buying an additional 346 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 82.0% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 899 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,110 shares of the company’s stock valued at $122,000 after acquiring an additional 436 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S raised its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 26.3% in the 4th quarter. Danske Bank A S now owns 2,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GSI Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. GSI Capital Advisors LLC now owns 147,682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,380,000 after purchasing an additional 510 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

About Essential Properties Realty Trust

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc (NYSE: EPRT) is a self-administered real estate investment trust that acquires, owns and manages single-tenant commercial properties subject to long-term, triple-net leases. The company’s portfolio primarily consists of small-box retail and industrial assets, including convenience stores, automotive service centers, quick-service restaurants, fitness centers and other necessity-based businesses. Under a triple-net lease structure, tenants assume responsibility for property taxes, insurance and most maintenance expenses, providing Essential Properties with predictable, stable cash flows.

Since its founding in April 2016 and its initial public offering later that year, Essential Properties has pursued a growth strategy focused on partnering with creditworthy tenants operating in densely populated trade areas.