EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) Short Interest Update

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) was the target of a large increase in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,900,000 shares, an increase of 10.3% from the August 15th total of 2,630,000 shares. Currently, 3.9% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 585,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.0 days.

EPR Properties Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:EPR traded up $0.14 on Wednesday, reaching $48.64. The company had a trading volume of 523,383 shares, compared to its average volume of 610,471. The company has a quick ratio of 11.12, a current ratio of 11.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.88 and a beta of 1.75. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $45.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $42.84. EPR Properties has a twelve month low of $39.65 and a twelve month high of $49.63.

EPR Properties Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.285 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $3.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.03%. EPR Properties’s payout ratio is currently 168.47%.

Insider Activity at EPR Properties

In other EPR Properties news, SVP Gwendolyn Mary Johnson sold 592 shares of EPR Properties stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.82, for a total transaction of $25,941.44. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,780 shares in the company, valued at approximately $253,279.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CAO Tonya L. Mater sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.00, for a total value of $46,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 42,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,964,660. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Gwendolyn Mary Johnson sold 592 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.82, for a total transaction of $25,941.44. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 5,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $253,279.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On EPR Properties

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 worth $482,504,000 after buying an additional 109,144 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in EPR Properties by 290.3% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,691,029 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $81,930,000 after acquiring an additional 1,257,791 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in EPR Properties by 23.3% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,177,586 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $49,435,000 after acquiring an additional 222,800 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management boosted its holdings in EPR Properties by 0.5% during the second quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,139,494 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $47,836,000 after acquiring an additional 5,140 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of EPR Properties by 5.1% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,106,593 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $46,454,000 after purchasing an additional 53,997 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.66% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EPR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of EPR Properties from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on EPR Properties from $42.50 to $47.50 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on EPR Properties from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 26th. Royal Bank of Canada raised EPR Properties from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $48.00 to $50.00 in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on EPR Properties from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $48.06.

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.