Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Boosts Holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 5.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,017,486 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 144,531 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust were worth $98,491,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. KBC Group NV raised its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 8,085 shares of the company’s stock worth $264,000 after buying an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,778 shares of the company’s stock worth $352,000 after buying an additional 419 shares during the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 18,355 shares of the company’s stock worth $574,000 after buying an additional 581 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. raised its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 14,026 shares of the company’s stock worth $458,000 after buying an additional 646 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mutual of America Capital Management LLC raised its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 27,331 shares of the company’s stock worth $892,000 after buying an additional 772 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Performance

EPRT opened at $30.24 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $5.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.62, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.07. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 1-year low of $27.44 and a 1-year high of $34.88. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $31.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 5.67 and a quick ratio of 5.67.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by ($0.01). Essential Properties Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.20% and a net margin of 44.48%. The firm had revenue of $129.11 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $131.72 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.47 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. This is an increase from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 101.69%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on EPRT. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $36.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Scotiabank upped 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, May 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.90.

Insider Activity at Essential Properties Realty Trust

In other news, VP A Joseph Peil sold 13,227 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.96, for a total transaction of $435,961.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 76,590 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,524,406.40. This represents a 14.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

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.