Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Grows Stock Holdings in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. $EPRT

17 May 2026, 05:43 by Scott Moore · The Cerbat Gem

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT – Free Report) by 1,930,360.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,737,308 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,736,959 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned approximately 3.40% of Essential Properties Realty Trust worth $199,829,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of EPRT. First Horizon Corp increased its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 146.9% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 1,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 673 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 54.2% in the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,867 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 656 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust by 40.1% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,883 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in the third quarter valued at about $57,000. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in the fourth quarter valued at about $76,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP A Joseph Peil sold 19,657 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.10, for a total transaction of $630,989.70. Following the sale, the vice president owned 76,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,456,452.50. The trade was a 20.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Robert Webb Salisbury sold 5,851 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.88, for a total transaction of $186,529.88. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 8,310 shares in the company, valued at $264,922.80. The trade was a 41.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.77% of the company’s stock.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of EPRT opened at $30.21 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $31.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.78, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a current ratio of 5.12, a quick ratio of 5.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. has a 1-year low of $28.95 and a 1-year high of $34.73.

Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $158.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $151.87 million. Essential Properties Realty Trust had a net margin of 43.46% and a return on equity of 6.30%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.45 EPS. Essential Properties Realty Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.050 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.96 EPS for the current year.

Essential Properties Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. Essential Properties Realty Trust’s payout ratio is presently 97.64%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on EPRT shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $35.00 to $37.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Scotiabank cut their target price on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust from $35.00 to $34.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Essential Properties Realty Trust currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $36.55.

View Our Latest Analysis on EPRT

About Essential Properties Realty Trust

(Free Report)

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc (NYSE: EPRT) is a self-administered real estate investment trust that acquires, owns and manages single-tenant commercial properties subject to long-term, triple-net leases. The company’s portfolio primarily consists of small-box retail and industrial assets, including convenience stores, automotive service centers, quick-service restaurants, fitness centers and other necessity-based businesses. Under a triple-net lease structure, tenants assume responsibility for property taxes, insurance and most maintenance expenses, providing Essential Properties with predictable, stable cash flows.