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

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) was the target 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. Based on an average daily volume of 713,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.2 days. Approximately 3.0% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

EPR Properties Price Performance

NYSE:EPR traded down $0.83 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $51.51. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 766,725 shares, compared to its average volume of 593,901. The company has a market capitalization of $3.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.30 and a beta of 1.72. The company has a current ratio of 7.81, a quick ratio of 7.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. EPR Properties has a fifty-two week low of $39.66 and a fifty-two week high of $54.25. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $49.98 and a 200-day moving average of $47.46.

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.56. The business had revenue of $149.12 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $161.25 million. EPR Properties had a return on equity of 8.22% and a net margin of 28.87%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that EPR Properties will post 4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

EPR Properties Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity at EPR Properties

In related news, SVP Gwendolyn Mary Johnson sold 3,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.02, for a total value of $210,678.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,216 shares in the company, valued at approximately $443,828.32. The trade was a 32.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Brian Andrew Moriarty sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.99, for a total value of $129,975.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 15,299 shares in the company, valued at approximately $795,395.01. This trade represents a 14.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 9,520 shares of company stock valued at $502,581. Insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in EPR Properties during the 4th quarter valued at $352,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of EPR Properties by 35.7% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 673,117 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $33,010,000 after purchasing an additional 177,061 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of EPR Properties by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,380,301 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $61,120,000 after buying an additional 30,401 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of EPR Properties by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 13,739 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $608,000 after buying an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in EPR Properties by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 146,032 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $6,466,000 after buying an additional 8,102 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.66% of the company’s stock.

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.