Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 1,253 Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 236,670 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,253 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.13% of Essential Properties Realty Trust worth $7,403,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EPRT. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 74.5% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 468 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake 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 valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 1,119 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust by 215.4% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,211 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 827 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $79,000. 96.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Stephen D. Sautel sold 12,500 shares of the 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 $5,817,663.90. This represents a 6.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.81% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Stock Up 0.0 %

Essential Properties Realty Trust stock opened at $32.62 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $31.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $32.40. The company has a quick ratio of 5.36, a current ratio of 5.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market cap of $6.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.36. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a twelve month low of $24.72 and a twelve month high of $34.88.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. As a group, analysts expect that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.83 EPS for the current year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.295 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.62%. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.51%.

About Essential Properties Realty Trust

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.