Stifel Nicolaus Issues Positive Forecast for Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) Stock Price

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) had its price target hoisted by Stifel Nicolaus from $36.00 to $36.25 in a report released on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on EPRT. Weiss Ratings raised Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Scotiabank raised shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $34.00 to $33.00 in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 20th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $40.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $36.11.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of EPRT stock opened at $32.13 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.91, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.88. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $30.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $31.42. Essential Properties Realty Trust has a 1 year low of $28.95 and a 1 year high of $34.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 5.12 and a quick ratio of 5.12.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.01. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.45% and a net margin of 43.51%.The company had revenue of $161.89 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $156.65 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.46 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 18.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.010-2.050 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Essential Properties Realty Trust will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. This is an increase from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 100.79%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EPRT. Cohen & Steers Inc. raised its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 111.6% in the fourth quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 18,611,967 shares of the company’s stock valued at $552,031,000 after purchasing an additional 9,816,042 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,131,871 shares of the company’s stock worth $358,488,000 after buying an additional 843,877 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,844,570 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,670,000 after buying an additional 421,364 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 1,930,360.7% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,737,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $199,829,000 after buying an additional 6,736,959 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,240,401 shares of the company’s stock worth $155,452,000 after buying an additional 25,857 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Essential Properties Realty Trust this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings came in ahead of estimates, with EPS of $0.34 versus $0.33 expected, and revenue of $161.89 million topping the consensus estimate. The company also raised FY 2026 EPS guidance to $2.01-$2.05, above the analyst forecast of $1.97. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus raised its price target on EPRT from $36.00 to $36.25 and reiterated a “buy” rating, signaling continued upside potential. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays also maintained an “overweight” rating, though it trimmed its price target to $37.00 from $40.00, still implying room for gains. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks reported that quarterly funds from operations matched expectations at $0.50 per share, indicating stable operating performance for the REIT. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst consensus remains broadly favorable, with coverage indicating a “buy” rating average across Wall Street. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Some earnings commentary noted that core FFO beat estimates, but revenue missed in one report, which may have tempered investor enthusiasm despite the overall solid quarter. Article Title

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.