EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the nine research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $47.50.

A number of research firms have issued reports on EPR. StockNews.com cut EPR Properties from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of EPR Properties in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Bank of America cut shares of EPR Properties from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $45.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Monday, May 20th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of EPR Properties from $42.50 to $47.50 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of EPR Properties from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $48.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Monday.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Gwendolyn Mary Johnson sold 592 shares of EPR Properties stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.82, for a total transaction of $25,941.44. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,780 shares in the company, valued at approximately $253,279.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 2.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of EPR. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of EPR Properties by 290.3% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,691,029 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $81,930,000 after purchasing an additional 1,257,791 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of EPR Properties in the fourth quarter valued at $42,761,000. Swedbank AB bought a new position in EPR Properties in the first quarter valued at about $7,429,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in EPR Properties by 1.0% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,366,416 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $482,504,000 after acquiring an additional 109,144 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in EPR Properties by 75.0% in the fourth quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC now owns 175,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $8,479,000 after acquiring an additional 75,000 shares during the last quarter. 74.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

EPR Properties Stock Performance

EPR stock opened at $44.02 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 8.45 and a current ratio of 11.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.68 and a beta of 1.73. EPR Properties has a 1 year low of $39.65 and a 1 year high of $49.10. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $42.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.11.

EPR Properties Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 31st will be paid a $0.285 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 31st. This represents a $3.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.77%. EPR Properties’s dividend payout ratio is currently 168.47%.

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.