AlphaQuest LLC Buys New Stake in EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR)

AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in shares of EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 35,205 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $1,559,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of EPR Properties in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of EPR Properties in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of EPR Properties by 36.6% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,127 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of EPR Properties by 54.5% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,296 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 457 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of EPR Properties by 42.3% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,474 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 438 shares in the last quarter. 74.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted 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. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of EPR Properties from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of EPR Properties in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $48.00 price objective for the company. 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 given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other EPR Properties news, SVP Gwendolyn Mary Johnson sold 3,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.02, for a total transaction of $210,678.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,216 shares in the company, valued at $443,828.32. This trade represents a 32.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 2.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

EPR Properties Price Performance

EPR stock opened at $53.20 on Monday. EPR Properties has a 12 month low of $39.65 and a 12 month high of $54.25. The company has a current ratio of 7.81, a quick ratio of 7.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $47.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.96. The stock has a market cap of $4.05 billion, a PE ratio of 23.03 and a beta of 1.72.

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.22 EPS 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 analysts’ expectations of $161.25 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that EPR Properties will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current year.

EPR Properties Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.295 dividend. This is an increase from EPR Properties’s previous monthly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.65%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. EPR Properties’s dividend payout ratio is currently 221.25%.

About EPR Properties

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.