Kovack Advisors Inc. Sells 1,761 Shares of EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR)

Kovack Advisors Inc. trimmed its stake in EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) by 14.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 10,689 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 1,761 shares during the quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc.’s holdings in EPR Properties were worth $473,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in EPR Properties by 0.5% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,425,119 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $69,904,000 after acquiring an additional 7,429 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in EPR Properties by 4.2% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,349,900 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $66,199,000 after acquiring an additional 54,567 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in EPR Properties by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,145,267 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $50,712,000 after acquiring an additional 60,953 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in EPR Properties by 35.7% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 673,117 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $33,010,000 after acquiring an additional 177,061 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in EPR Properties by 304.7% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 457,621 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $22,442,000 after acquiring an additional 344,544 shares during the period. 74.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

EPR Properties Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of EPR opened at $53.10 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 7.81, a current ratio of 7.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. EPR Properties has a 12-month low of $39.65 and a 12-month high of $53.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.02 billion, a PE ratio of 22.99 and a beta of 1.75. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $46.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.65.

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

EPR Properties Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.295 per share. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.67%. 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 is 148.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $50.00 price target on shares of EPR Properties in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on EPR Properties from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on EPR Properties in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $48.00 price objective on the stock. 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, EPR Properties presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $48.50.

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.