EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) Sets New 12-Month High Following Analyst Upgrade

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Monday after Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on the stock from $45.00 to $52.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an underweight rating on the stock. EPR Properties traded as high as $54.25 and last traded at $53.98, with a volume of 243992 shares. The stock had previously closed at $53.20.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. UBS Group initiated coverage on EPR Properties in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $48.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of EPR Properties from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of EPR Properties from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Two equities 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, EPR Properties currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.13.

Insider Transactions at EPR Properties

In other news, SVP Gwendolyn Mary Johnson sold 3,900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.02, for a total value of $210,678.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 8,216 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $443,828.32. This represents a 32.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of EPR Properties

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its position in shares of EPR Properties by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 32,851 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,455,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the period. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in EPR Properties by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 15,071 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $667,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its holdings in EPR Properties by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 4,117 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $182,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC grew its position in EPR Properties by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 13,739 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $608,000 after acquiring an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its stake in EPR Properties by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 44,677 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,977,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the period. 74.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

EPR Properties Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $4.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.34 and a beta of 1.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 7.81 and a quick ratio of 7.81. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $47.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $46.96.

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.22 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $161.25 million. EPR Properties had a net margin of 28.87% and a return on equity of 8.22%. On average, analysts forecast that EPR Properties will post 4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

EPR Properties Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.295 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from EPR Properties’s previous monthly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.61%. EPR Properties’s payout ratio is 221.25%.

EPR Properties Company Profile

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.