EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) Short Interest Up 10.3% in August

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) was the target of a large increase in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,900,000 shares, an increase of 10.3% from the August 15th total of 2,630,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 585,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.0 days. Currently, 3.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

EPR Properties Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of EPR Properties stock traded up $0.14 on Wednesday, hitting $48.64. The company had a trading volume of 523,383 shares, compared to its average volume of 610,471. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $45.59 and a 200-day moving average of $42.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 11.12 and a quick ratio of 11.12. EPR Properties has a twelve month low of $39.65 and a twelve month high of $49.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.88 and a beta of 1.75.

EPR Properties Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th will be paid a $0.285 dividend. This represents a $3.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. EPR Properties’s payout ratio is presently 168.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other EPR Properties news, SVP Gwendolyn Mary Johnson sold 592 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.82, for a total value of $25,941.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $253,279.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Tonya L. Mater sold 1,000 shares of EPR Properties stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.00, for a total value of $46,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 42,710 shares in the company, valued at $1,964,660. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Gwendolyn Mary Johnson sold 592 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.82, for a total transaction of $25,941.44. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 5,780 shares in the company, valued at $253,279.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of EPR Properties

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of EPR Properties by 1.0% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,366,416 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $482,504,000 after purchasing an additional 109,144 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in EPR Properties by 290.3% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,691,029 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $81,930,000 after buying an additional 1,257,791 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in EPR Properties by 23.3% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,177,586 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $49,435,000 after buying an additional 222,800 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of EPR Properties by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,139,494 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $47,836,000 after buying an additional 5,140 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of EPR Properties by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,106,593 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $46,454,000 after acquiring an additional 53,997 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of EPR Properties in a research report on Friday, June 14th. StockNews.com lowered EPR Properties from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of EPR Properties from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of EPR Properties from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Raymond James raised shares of EPR Properties from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $54.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $48.06.

EPR Properties Company Profile

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) is the leading diversified experiential net lease real estate investment trust (REIT), specializing in select enduring experiential properties in the real estate industry. We focus on real estate venues that create value by facilitating out of home leisure and recreation experiences where consumers choose to spend their discretionary time and money.