Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Sells 4,659 Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 281,635 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,659 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust were worth $8,894,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 95.2% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 818 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 399 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 611.3% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,027 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 74.5% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 468 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 215.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 827 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in Essential Properties Realty Trust during the 3rd quarter worth about $79,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE EPRT opened at $31.30 on Friday. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 52-week low of $23.58 and a 52-week high of $34.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 5.59 and a current ratio of 5.59. The stock has a market cap of $5.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.39. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $32.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.92.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $117.13 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.73 million. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a net margin of 46.00% and a return on equity of 6.20%. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s quarterly revenue was up 27.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.42 EPS. Analysts expect that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.68 EPS for the current year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.295 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.77%. This is a positive change from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 102.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $35.94 price objective for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $38.00 target price for the company. Scotiabank upped their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Essential Properties Realty Trust presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $33.91.

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.