GF Fund Management CO. LTD. Makes New Investment in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT)

GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 3,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $100,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of EPRT. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 252,936 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,912,000 after acquiring an additional 2,051 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,130,570 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,364,000 after purchasing an additional 44,041 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 57.6% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 137,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,288,000 after purchasing an additional 50,100 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 44.5% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 52,874 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,654,000 after purchasing an additional 16,273 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV grew its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 25,436 shares of the company’s stock valued at $797,000 after buying an additional 990 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Up 0.5%

Essential Properties Realty Trust stock opened at $31.88 on Tuesday. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $26.07 and a fifty-two week high of $34.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 5.36 and a current ratio of 5.36. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $31.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $31.95. The stock has a market cap of $6.30 billion, a PE ratio of 27.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.09.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.46 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $129.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $124.88 million. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a net margin of 45.15% and a return on equity of 6.12%. The business’s revenue was up 24.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.42 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.295 per share. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s payout ratio is 102.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on EPRT. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $37.00 price target (up from $35.00) on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Scotiabank upped their target price on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. B. Riley downgraded shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $29.50 to $33.50 in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $40.00 to $37.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Capital One Financial began coverage on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $35.00 price objective on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Essential Properties Realty Trust presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.91.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Essential Properties Realty Trust news, Director Stephen D. Sautel sold 12,500 shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.54, for a total value of $406,750.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 178,785 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,817,663.90. The trade was a 6.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.77% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.