American Century Companies Inc. Raises Stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 43.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,041,992 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 317,845 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 0.53% of Essential Properties Realty Trust worth $31,010,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 8.9% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,284,712 shares of the company’s stock worth $104,815,000 after acquiring an additional 267,226 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,242,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 139.6% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 118,698 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,532,000 after purchasing an additional 69,157 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 2,890.8% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 22,192 shares of the company’s stock worth $708,000 after purchasing an additional 21,450 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. increased its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 7.6% during the second quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 2,391,968 shares of the company’s stock worth $76,328,000 after purchasing an additional 169,413 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EPRT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $37.00 price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $35.78.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE EPRT opened at $34.33 on Friday. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a one year low of $27.44 and a one year high of $34.73. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $31.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $30.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 6.37 and a current ratio of 6.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.82, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.95.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

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

Essential Properties Realty Trust Company 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.