Vanderbilt University Increases Stock Position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT)

Vanderbilt University boosted its holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT) by 54.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 54,568 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,197 shares during the quarter. Vanderbilt University’s holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust were worth $1,707,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of EPRT. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 95.2% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 818 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 399 shares during the period. 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 worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 468 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake 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 worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 827 shares in the last quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in Essential Properties Realty Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at $79,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 63.1% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $108,000 after purchasing an additional 1,228 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on EPRT shares. UBS Group increased their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Essential Properties Realty Trust in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $38.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 4th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $33.85.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Price Performance

Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust stock opened at $32.02 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 5.59 and a current ratio of 5.59. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 52-week low of $23.58 and a 52-week high of $34.88. The company has a fifty day moving average of $31.96 and a 200-day moving average of $32.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.40.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.295 per share. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.69%. This is a positive change from Essential Properties Realty Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently 102.61%.

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.