EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) Upgraded to “Outperform” by Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have $50.00 target price on the real estate investment trust’s stock, up from their prior target price of $48.00.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on EPR. JMP Securities restated a market perform rating on shares of EPR Properties in a report on Friday, June 14th. StockNews.com lowered shares of EPR Properties from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Bank of America downgraded EPR Properties from a neutral rating to an underperform rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $45.00 to $40.00 in a report on Monday, May 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on EPR Properties from $42.50 to $47.50 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $47.50.

EPR Properties Price Performance

Shares of EPR opened at $44.02 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $42.30 and a 200-day moving average of $42.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 11.12 and a quick ratio of 8.45. The company has a market capitalization of $3.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.68 and a beta of 1.73. EPR Properties has a 1 year low of $39.65 and a 1 year high of $49.10.

EPR Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st will be paid a $0.285 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 31st. This represents a $3.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.77%. EPR Properties’s dividend payout ratio is presently 168.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other EPR Properties news, SVP Gwendolyn Mary Johnson sold 592 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.82, for a total value of $25,941.44. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 5,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $253,279.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its position in EPR Properties by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 94,594 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $4,016,000 after acquiring an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of EPR Properties by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 19,474 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $944,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of EPR Properties by 53.7% in the first quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 902 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its position in shares of EPR Properties by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 32,910 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,594,000 after buying an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in EPR Properties by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 22,705 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,100,000 after buying an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. 74.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

EPR Properties Company Profile

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) is the leading diversified experiential net lease real estate investment trust (REIT), specializing in select enduring experiential properties in the real estate industry. We focus on real estate venues that create value by facilitating out of home leisure and recreation experiences where consumers choose to spend their discretionary time and money.