Vanguard Group Inc. Has $621.55 Million Position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT)

Vanguard Group Inc. cut its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 24,317,310 shares of the company’s stock after selling 413,208 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 14.64% of Essential Properties Realty Trust worth $621,550,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 18.4% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,931,196 shares of the company’s stock valued at $253,841,000 after buying an additional 1,543,346 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky increased its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 18.1% during the 4th quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 120,002 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,067,000 after purchasing an additional 18,369 shares in the last quarter. Heitman Real Estate Securities LLC increased its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Heitman Real Estate Securities LLC now owns 1,048,293 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,794,000 after purchasing an additional 56,990 shares in the last quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 24.2% in the fourth quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 15,580 shares of the company’s stock valued at $398,000 after purchasing an additional 3,038 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 139.8% in the fourth quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 48,931 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,251,000 after purchasing an additional 28,524 shares in the last quarter. 96.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on EPRT shares. B. Riley restated a “buy” rating and issued a $29.00 target price (up previously from $27.50) on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $27.00 to $27.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Citigroup raised Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $25.00 to $28.50 in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Friday, May 31st. They set a “buy” rating and a $30.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $28.60.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Performance

NYSE EPRT opened at $26.85 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $4.71 billion, a PE ratio of 21.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 7.61 and a current ratio of 7.61. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $26.80 and a 200-day moving average of $25.79. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 52-week low of $20.49 and a 52-week high of $28.18.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 28th. This is a boost from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s payout ratio is currently 92.68%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Stephen D. Sautel sold 25,000 shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.09, for a total transaction of $677,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 247,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,704,558.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Peter M. Mavoides sold 9,188 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.01, for a total transaction of $238,979.88. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 554,904 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,433,053.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Stephen D. Sautel sold 25,000 shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.09, for a total transaction of $677,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 247,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,704,558.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.81% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Company Profile

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc, a real estate company, acquires, owns, and manages single-tenant properties in the United States. The company leases its properties to middle-market companies, such as restaurants, car washes, automotive services, medical and dental services, convenience stores, equipment rental, entertainment, early childhood education, grocery, and health and fitness on a long-term basis.