EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,260,000 shares, a decline of 20.7% from the February 28th total of 2,850,000 shares. Approximately 3.0% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 713,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.2 days.

EPR Properties Stock Down 1.6 %

EPR traded down $0.83 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $51.51. The company had a trading volume of 766,725 shares, compared to its average volume of 593,901. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $49.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $47.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 7.81 and a quick ratio of 7.81. EPR Properties has a 12 month low of $39.66 and a 12 month high of $54.25. The company has a market cap of $3.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.30 and a beta of 1.72.

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.56. EPR Properties had a net margin of 28.87% and a return on equity of 8.22%. The firm had revenue of $149.12 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $161.25 million. Equities analysts anticipate that EPR Properties will post 4.65 EPS for the current year.

EPR Properties Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.295 dividend. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.87%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from EPR Properties’s previous monthly dividend of $0.29. EPR Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 221.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Tonya L. Mater sold 3,120 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.90, for a total transaction of $161,928.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 46,827 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,430,321.30. The trade was a 6.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Brian Andrew Moriarty sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.99, for a total transaction of $129,975.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 15,299 shares in the company, valued at approximately $795,395.01. The trade was a 14.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 9,520 shares of company stock worth $502,581 in the last quarter. Insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EPR Properties

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EPR. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its holdings in shares of EPR Properties by 0.6% in 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 purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in EPR Properties by 1.5% in 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 buying an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in EPR Properties by 5.9% in 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 buying an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC lifted its position in EPR Properties by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 13,739 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $608,000 after buying an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its holdings in shares of EPR Properties by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 44,677 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,977,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on EPR. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on EPR Properties from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on EPR Properties from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on EPR Properties from $45.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of EPR Properties from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, EPR Properties has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $51.00.

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.