Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the fifteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $33.85.

A number of brokerages recently commented on EPRT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $38.00 target price for the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 4th.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Performance

Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock opened at $31.16 on Wednesday. Essential Properties Realty Trust has a one year low of $23.58 and a one year high of $34.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.10, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.40. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $31.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $32.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 5.59 and a quick ratio of 5.59.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.295 per share. This is a positive change from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.79%. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 102.61%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essential Properties Realty Trust

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. United Services Automobile Association lifted its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. United Services Automobile Association now owns 11,183 shares of the company’s stock valued at $350,000 after purchasing an additional 730 shares during the last quarter. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. LPL Financial LLC lifted its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 14.1% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 26,403 shares of the company’s stock valued at $826,000 after purchasing an additional 3,271 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,100,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP increased its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 88.3% in the fourth quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 95,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,002,000 after acquiring an additional 44,993 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

About Essential Properties Realty Trust

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.