Caxton Associates LLP Sells 91,289 Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

Caxton Associates LLP reduced its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 54.5% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 76,280 shares of the company’s stock after selling 91,289 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP’s holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust were worth $2,316,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of EPRT. Cohen & Steers Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 111.6% during the fourth quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 18,611,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $552,031,000 after purchasing an additional 9,816,042 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 1,930,360.7% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,737,308 shares of the company’s stock valued at $199,829,000 after purchasing an additional 6,736,959 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 4,681.4% in the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 3,997,593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $118,569,000 after purchasing an additional 3,913,986 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 195.4% during the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,970,789 shares of the company’s stock worth $118,171,000 after purchasing an additional 2,626,478 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Essential Properties Realty Trust during the 4th quarter worth $68,467,000. Institutional investors own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Price Performance

EPRT stock opened at $32.34 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 5.12, a current ratio of 8.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market cap of $6.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.07, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.88. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $30.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $31.42. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 12-month low of $28.95 and a 12-month high of $34.73.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.01. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.34% and a net margin of 43.51%.The firm had revenue of $161.89 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $156.65 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.46 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 18.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.010-2.050 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This is an increase from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s payout ratio is 99.22%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on EPRT shares. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $36.25 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 20th. Mizuho cut their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Scotiabank upgraded Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $34.00 to $33.00 in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eleven have given a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $36.11.

About Essential Properties Realty Trust

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc (NYSE: EPRT) is a self-administered real estate investment trust that acquires, owns and manages single-tenant commercial properties subject to long-term, triple-net leases. The company’s portfolio primarily consists of small-box retail and industrial assets, including convenience stores, automotive service centers, quick-service restaurants, fitness centers and other necessity-based businesses. Under a triple-net lease structure, tenants assume responsibility for property taxes, insurance and most maintenance expenses, providing Essential Properties with predictable, stable cash flows.

Since its founding in April 2016 and its initial public offering later that year, Essential Properties has pursued a growth strategy focused on partnering with creditworthy tenants operating in densely populated trade areas.