Kennedy Capital Management LLC Raises Position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

Kennedy Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 62.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 517,445 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 199,083 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC owned about 0.26% of Essential Properties Realty Trust worth $15,399,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 8.9% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,284,712 shares of the company’s stock worth $104,815,000 after buying an additional 267,226 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,242,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 139.6% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 118,698 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,532,000 after acquiring an additional 69,157 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 2,890.8% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 22,192 shares of the company’s stock worth $708,000 after purchasing an additional 21,450 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. grew its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 7.6% in the 2nd quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 2,391,968 shares of the company’s stock valued at $76,328,000 after purchasing an additional 169,413 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Price Performance

Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock traded up $0.28 on Friday, reaching $33.30. The stock had a trading volume of 210,937 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,953,161. The business’s 50 day moving average is $31.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.86. The company has a current ratio of 6.37, a quick ratio of 6.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 1 year low of $27.44 and a 1 year high of $34.73. The company has a market cap of $6.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.95.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 96.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on EPRT shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Essential Properties Realty Trust has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $36.56.

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.