Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Sells 47,494 Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 12.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 339,217 shares of the company’s stock after selling 47,494 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. owned 0.19% of Essential Properties Realty Trust worth $10,611,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Selective Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Selective Wealth Management Inc. now owns 21,709 shares of the company’s stock worth $673,000 after purchasing an additional 395 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 50,884 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,592,000 after purchasing an additional 399 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 74.5% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,096 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 468 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 8.6% during the third quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 6,815 shares of the company’s stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 542 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 24.0% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,935 shares of the company’s stock worth $123,000 after purchasing an additional 762 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Price Performance

EPRT stock opened at $31.12 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $31.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $32.40. The stock has a market cap of $5.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.36. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 1 year low of $24.72 and a 1 year high of $34.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 5.36 and a quick ratio of 5.36.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.14. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a net margin of 45.15% and a return on equity of 6.12%. Research analysts anticipate that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.295 per share. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.79%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is 103.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Stephen D. Sautel sold 12,500 shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.54, for a total transaction of $406,750.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 178,785 shares in the company, valued at $5,817,663.90. This trade represents a 6.53 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on EPRT. B. Riley cut Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $29.50 to $33.50 in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $38.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Capital One Financial began coverage on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $35.00 price target on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.48.

Essential Properties Realty Trust 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.