Short Interest in EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) Increases By 7.0%

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,150,000 shares, a growth of 7.0% from the March 15th total of 2,010,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 651,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.3 days. Currently, 2.9% of the company’s shares are sold short.

EPR Properties Price Performance

EPR stock opened at $40.02 on Thursday. EPR Properties has a 12-month low of $39.01 and a 12-month high of $49.10. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $41.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $43.88. The company has a current ratio of 7.53, a quick ratio of 7.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The company has a market cap of $3.03 billion, a PE ratio of 20.31 and a beta of 1.65.

EPR Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be given a $0.285 dividend. This represents a $3.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. EPR Properties’s payout ratio is 173.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered EPR Properties from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on EPR Properties from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. JMP Securities lowered EPR Properties from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. KeyCorp upped their target price on EPR Properties from $47.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 5th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their target price on EPR Properties from $51.00 to $46.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $48.05.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EPR Properties

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of EPR Properties by 0.5% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,272,904 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $404,247,000 after buying an additional 52,586 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of EPR Properties by 0.5% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,197,625 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $197,582,000 after acquiring an additional 19,701 shares in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of EPR Properties by 24.5% in the first quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 1,708,349 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $93,463,000 after acquiring an additional 336,729 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of EPR Properties by 290.3% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,691,029 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $81,930,000 after acquiring an additional 1,257,791 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of EPR Properties by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,244,414 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $60,292,000 after acquiring an additional 16,772 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.66% of the company’s stock.

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.