Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lowered its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 47,407 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,427 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust were worth $1,212,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 15.5% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 7,848 shares of the company’s stock worth $170,000 after acquiring an additional 1,052 shares during the last quarter. Cambria Investment Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in the 3rd quarter worth about $201,000. Glenmede Trust Co. NA bought a new stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in the 3rd quarter worth about $223,000. Evergreen Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 11.2% in the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 10,851 shares of the company’s stock worth $238,000 after acquiring an additional 1,091 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in the 3rd quarter worth about $306,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on EPRT shares. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $29.00 price target on the stock. Raymond James raised their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Citigroup raised shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $25.00 to $28.50 in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. B. Riley reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $29.00 price target (up previously from $27.50) on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Essential Properties Realty Trust currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $28.22.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Trading Up 2.0 %

NYSE EPRT opened at $26.28 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 5.01 and a current ratio of 5.01. The company has a market capitalization of $4.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.27. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $25.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $24.44. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a one year low of $20.49 and a one year high of $26.77.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 29th were given a dividend of $0.285 per share. This represents a $1.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 27th. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 91.94%.

Insider Transactions at Essential Properties Realty Trust

In other news, CEO Peter M. Mavoides sold 11,904 shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.35, for a total value of $289,862.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 571,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,918,606.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CEO Peter M. Mavoides sold 11,904 shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.35, for a total value of $289,862.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 571,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,918,606.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Peter M. Mavoides sold 5,714 shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.08, for a total transaction of $143,307.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 565,892 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,192,571.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 44,524 shares of company stock valued at $1,113,438 in the last 90 days. 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.