EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) Sets New 12-Month High Following Analyst Upgrade

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Monday after Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on the stock from $45.00 to $52.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an underweight rating on the stock. EPR Properties traded as high as $54.25 and last traded at $53.98, with a volume of 243992 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $53.20.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on EPR Properties from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of EPR Properties from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of EPR Properties in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $48.00 price objective on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.13.

Insider Activity

In other EPR Properties news, SVP Gwendolyn Mary Johnson sold 3,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.02, for a total transaction of $210,678.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,216 shares in the company, valued at approximately $443,828.32. The trade was a 32.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of EPR Properties

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of EPR Properties during the 4th quarter valued at about $302,313,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in EPR Properties during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,148,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in EPR Properties by 304.7% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 457,621 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $22,442,000 after buying an additional 344,544 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in EPR Properties by 44.6% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,085,947 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $48,086,000 after acquiring an additional 334,943 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in EPR Properties in the fourth quarter worth approximately $13,145,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.66% of the company’s stock.

EPR Properties Stock Up 0.7 %

The company has a current ratio of 7.81, a quick ratio of 7.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The firm has a market cap of $4.08 billion, a PE ratio of 23.34 and a beta of 1.72. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $47.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $46.96.

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.56. EPR Properties had a return on equity of 8.22% and a net margin of 28.87%. The business had revenue of $149.12 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $161.25 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that EPR Properties will post 4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

EPR Properties Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.295 per share. This is a boost from EPR Properties’s previous monthly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.61%. EPR Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 221.25%.

About EPR Properties

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.