Stifel Nicolaus Issues Positive Forecast for EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) Stock Price

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) had its price objective increased by Stifel Nicolaus from $51.00 to $52.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a hold rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on EPR. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of EPR Properties in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group assumed coverage on EPR Properties in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $48.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, EPR Properties has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.50.

EPR Properties Price Performance

NYSE EPR opened at $52.06 on Thursday. EPR Properties has a 1 year low of $39.65 and a 1 year high of $53.59. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $46.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.58. 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 company has a market cap of $3.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.54 and a beta of 1.75.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.56. The company had revenue of $149.12 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $161.25 million. EPR Properties had a net margin of 28.87% and a return on equity of 8.22%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that EPR Properties will post 4.65 EPS for the current year.

EPR Properties Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.295 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This is a boost from EPR Properties’s previous monthly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.80%. EPR Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 148.05%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EPR Properties

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of EPR Properties by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,349,900 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $66,199,000 after acquiring an additional 54,567 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in EPR Properties in the third quarter worth $3,285,000. Algert Global LLC grew its holdings in shares of EPR Properties by 58.6% during the third quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 140,626 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $6,896,000 after purchasing an additional 51,980 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of EPR Properties by 19.0% in the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 302,130 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $14,816,000 after buying an additional 48,229 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in EPR Properties during the 4th quarter worth about $352,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.66% of the company’s stock.

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.