Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) Shares Sold by Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc.

Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. lessened its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 42.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,172 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,307 shares during the period. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust were worth $349,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Essential Properties Realty Trust during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 468 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 1,834.4% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 1,119 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 215.4% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 827 shares during the period. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust during the 3rd quarter valued at $79,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Performance

EPRT stock opened at $32.58 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $31.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $32.40. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 52 week low of $24.72 and a 52 week high of $34.88. The stock has a market cap of $6.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 5.36 and a current ratio of 5.36.

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

Essential Properties Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.295 per share. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.62%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 103.51%.

Insider Transactions at Essential Properties Realty Trust

In other 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 stock was sold at an average price of $32.54, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 6.53 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on EPRT. Scotiabank cut their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $33.00 to $32.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 28th. B. Riley lowered shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $29.50 to $33.50 in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $38.00 target price for the company. Finally, Capital One Financial started coverage on Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $35.00 price target on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Essential Properties Realty Trust presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.91.

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.