Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT Shares Purchased by Aptus Capital Advisors LLC

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 15.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 332,420 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 43,790 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC owned about 0.17% of Essential Properties Realty Trust worth $9,893,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 168.5% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,212,137 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,833,000 after purchasing an additional 1,388,289 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 3.5% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,940,571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $87,510,000 after purchasing an additional 98,463 shares during the last quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co raised its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 104.9% in the 3rd quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 60,838 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,811,000 after acquiring an additional 31,143 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 43.9% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,041,992 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,010,000 after acquiring an additional 317,845 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 38.6% during the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 768,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,859,000 after acquiring an additional 213,800 shares during the last quarter. 96.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on EPRT. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $37.00 price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $35.78.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Trading Up 0.2%

Essential Properties Realty Trust stock opened at $34.33 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $31.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $30.80. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 52 week low of $27.44 and a 52 week high of $34.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.82, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 6.37 and a current ratio of 6.37.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a $0.31 dividend. This is a boost from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 96.88%.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Profile

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.