EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) Hits New 12-Month High After Analyst Upgrade

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Monday after Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on the stock from $45.00 to $52.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an underweight rating on the stock. EPR Properties traded as high as $54.25 and last traded at $53.98, with a volume of 243992 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $53.20.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on EPR Properties from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on EPR Properties from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on EPR Properties in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $48.00 target price for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.13.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Gwendolyn Mary Johnson sold 3,900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.02, for a total value of $210,678.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 8,216 shares in the company, valued at $443,828.32. This trade represents a 32.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On EPR Properties

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of EPR Properties in the 4th quarter valued at $302,313,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of EPR Properties by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,425,119 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $69,904,000 after purchasing an additional 7,429 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of EPR Properties by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,380,301 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $61,120,000 after purchasing an additional 30,401 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of EPR Properties by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,145,267 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $50,712,000 after purchasing an additional 60,953 shares during the period. Finally, LSV Asset Management boosted its position in shares of EPR Properties by 12.3% in the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,129,098 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $49,996,000 after purchasing an additional 123,400 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.66% of the company’s stock.

EPR Properties Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $4.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.81 and a beta of 1.72. The company has a current ratio of 7.81, a quick ratio of 7.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $47.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.01.

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.56. The company had revenue of $149.12 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $161.25 million. EPR Properties had a return on equity of 8.22% and a net margin of 28.87%. On average, analysts anticipate that EPR Properties will post 4.65 EPS for the current year.

EPR Properties Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.295 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.72%. This is a positive change from EPR Properties’s previous monthly dividend of $0.29. EPR Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 221.25%.

About EPR Properties

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.