Dockside LLC Takes $2.54 Million Position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

Dockside LLC purchased a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 85,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,543,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in EPRT. Cohen & Steers Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 111.6% in the 4th quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 18,611,967 shares of the company’s stock valued at $552,031,000 after acquiring an additional 9,816,042 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 1,930,360.7% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,737,308 shares of the company’s stock valued at $199,829,000 after acquiring an additional 6,736,959 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 4,681.4% in the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 3,997,593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $118,569,000 after acquiring an additional 3,913,986 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 195.4% in the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,970,789 shares of the company’s stock valued at $118,171,000 after acquiring an additional 2,626,478 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in the 4th quarter valued at $68,467,000. 96.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Essential Properties Realty Trust

In other Essential Properties Realty Trust news, VP A Joseph Peil sold 19,657 shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.10, for a total transaction of $630,989.70. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 76,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,456,452.50. The trade was a 20.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Robert Webb Salisbury sold 5,851 shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.88, for a total value of $186,529.88. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 8,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $264,922.80. This represents a 41.32% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.77% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of EPRT stock opened at $30.86 on Friday. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 1-year low of $28.95 and a 1-year high of $34.73. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $31.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 5.12 and a quick ratio of 5.12. The company has a market cap of $6.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.88.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.33 by ($0.05). Essential Properties Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.30% and a net margin of 43.46%.The business had revenue of $158.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $151.87 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.45 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.050 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. This is an increase from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s payout ratio is presently 100.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on EPRT shares. Raymond James Financial upgraded Essential Properties Realty Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $35.00 to $37.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $36.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $36.50.

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.