Wall Street Zen Downgrades Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) to Sell

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on EPRT. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $36.25 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Essential Properties Realty Trust presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $36.20.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Up 0.1%

Essential Properties Realty Trust stock opened at $30.88 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.94, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.86. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $31.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.55. Essential Properties Realty Trust has a 12 month low of $28.95 and a 12 month high of $34.73. The company has a current ratio of 8.17, a quick ratio of 8.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.01. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.34% and a net margin of 43.51%.The firm had revenue of $161.89 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $156.65 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.46 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 18.1% on a year-over-year basis. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.010-2.050 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Essential Properties Realty Trust will post 1.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Essential Properties Realty Trust news, COO Robert M. Jenkins sold 22,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.22, for a total value of $708,840.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 34,168 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,100,892.96. This trade represents a 39.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.77% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essential Properties Realty Trust

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 82.0% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 899 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 405 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 47.8% in the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,339 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 433 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new position in Essential Properties Realty Trust in the second quarter worth approximately $41,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 664.4% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,382 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 273.6% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,614 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 1,182 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 (NYSE: EPRT) is a self-administered real estate investment trust that acquires, owns and manages single-tenant commercial properties subject to long-term, triple-net leases. The company’s portfolio primarily consists of small-box retail and industrial assets, including convenience stores, automotive service centers, quick-service restaurants, fitness centers and other necessity-based businesses. Under a triple-net lease structure, tenants assume responsibility for property taxes, insurance and most maintenance expenses, providing Essential Properties with predictable, stable cash flows.

Since its founding in April 2016 and its initial public offering later that year, Essential Properties has pursued a growth strategy focused on partnering with creditworthy tenants operating in densely populated trade areas.