Markets were rising again this week, with near-15% gains on both the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones. Traders’ morale has clearly improved this week, and there is real hope that stocks are turning around after their steep fall in recent weeks.The positive turn in stocks has investors looking for new investments, which in turn has them looking for a strategy. Plenty of investment strategies can steer you toward profits, but there is one possibility that might make investing easier – just follow the insiders.Corporate insiders have been snapping up stocks during the downturn, making large purchases at low prices. Insider purchases have outperformed the indexes by 4.5% in recent years, which is no surprise; by definition, insiders have knowledge that is not necessarily available to the wider public.TipRanks offers an Insiders’ Hot Stocks tool, an invaluable guide to finding the stocks that the insiders are gobbling up. We’ve pulled up three stocks featuring bargain prices and upsides over 40%. In addition, each stock offers investors a guaranteed return, with a divided of at least 4.5%. Let's take a closer look.Essential Properties Realty Trust (EPRT)We’ll start with a real estate investment trust, as these stocks are already well known for giving high returns. Essential Properties manages commercial real estate, mostly single-tenant properties under long-term leases, in service-oriented business niches. The company has properties in 46 of the 50 states.EPRT’s stock has rebounded somewhat in recent days, more than doubling from the low point it hit on March 18. Even after doubling, however, the stock’s dividend is still yielding 6.1%. The annualized payment is 92 cents per share, or 23 cents quarterly. The payout ratio is 76%, showing that the company is committed to returning profits to shareholders, and has room for further dividend growth if necessary.Insiders have been racing to buy up shares. There have been four major insider purchases, all by members of the Board of Directors. The largest purchase, of $353,000, was by Anthony Dobkin, who is also the company’s interim CFO. Scott Estes, a Director and company VP, bought $313,000 dollars’ worth of shares. The other two large purchases totaled $280,000 together, and were made by Directors Paul Bossidy and Stephen Sautel. These purchases, along with several smaller ones, bring the insider action on EPRT to nearly $1 million in the past few weeks. This activity has skewed the insider sentiment on this stock strongly positive.This REIT’s portfolio of middle-market retail space leaves it somewhat exposed to the coronavirus downturn – not so much from direct losses, but rather due to potential tenant credit issues. Still, Ladenburg Thalmann analyst John Massocca believes that EPRT has a solid position and can counterbalance the possible problems. He notes several points in support of his thesis: “1.) a record low interest rate environment, 2.) EPRT's low leverage of 3.6x net debt/EBITDA at 4Q'19 end and pro-forma for the January 2020 follow-on, and 3.) strong debt availability of $524M between amounts undrawn on a term loan and the REIT's revolver.”Massocca puts a Buy rating on this stock, and his $27 price target implies an upside of 79%. (To watch Massocca’s track record, click here)Both most recent reviews on EPRT are Buys, making the analyst consensus here a Strong Buy. Shares are priced at a discount, just $15.12, and the average price target, $27, matches Massocca’s, with it’s 78% upside potential. (See EPRT stock analysis at TipRanks)Camping World Holdings (CWH)This company lives in a specialized niche, as a leading retailer of RVs, associated camping gear, maintenance gear, and a range of support services and protection plans, products, and resources. CWH operates in 36 states, and boasts over 200 retail locations.In the last quarter, CWH closed out its non-RV retail activities, incurring one-time liquidation and store closure costs, which were reflected in a Q4 earnings loss that was deeper than expected. The company reported 35 cents per share net loss, against an estimate of 27 cents. Earnings were down 1.8% year-over-year, with $964.93 million reported.Despite losses, CWH has been keeping up its dividend payment. The current quarterly payment, 15.5 cents, has been steady for the last two years. Annualized, CWH pays out 32 cents per share, for a yield of 4.53%. This is more than double the average dividend yield on the S&P 500, and gives this stock a strong return value.There have been 5 major insider purchases of CWH stock in the past three weeks. The largest purchase, made in three blocks, was by Marcus Lemonis, company CEO. Lemonis’ purchases, all made this month, totaled 200,000 shares and cost him over $1.7 million. CFO Melvin Flanigan made the second-largest purchase, worth $213,000 and comprising 22,000 shares, on March 9. Together the five large purchases totaled $2.26 million, and give a clear sign of management confidence in the company’s direction.Rick Nelson, covering the stock for Stephens, points out the turmoil and churn the company has experienced, and adds that the long-term benefit should be substantial. He writes, “…the decision to close the non-RV retail business weighed on results via heavy liquidation sales and store closing costs… We like the decision, however, as it focuses the Company on the core RV business and allows potential recapture of $35 mil. to $45 mil in adj. EBITDA in F20 as losses are eliminated.”Nelson gives this stock a price target of $21, implying an upside potential of 197%. He describes CWH as ‘volatile,’ but rates the stock a Buy. (To watch Nelson’s track record, click here)The analyst consensus rating on CWH is a Hold, based on a split among 4 reviews: 1 Buy, 1 Sell, and 2 Holds. The stock is selling for only $7.06 per share, and the average price target, $10.75, suggests room for 52% upside growth. (See Camping World’s stock analysis at TipRanks)Macerich Company (MAC)Last on this list is another REIT, Macerich. This company owns 53 commercial properties in the US, which have more than 50 million square feet in leasable area. Macerich is the third-largest owner and operator of shopping center in the US, and while that may seem to make vulnerable to the coronavirus lockdowns, the company still managed a Q4 year-over-year EPS gain. Earnings came in at 19 cents per share, well over double the year-ago figure of 8 cents.Quarterly revenue did not do as well. The total came to $241.84 million, down 2% from the year before.The earnings and revenue were enough for the company to continue supporting its strong dividend. MAC pays out 10 cents per quarter, or 40 cents annually, and gives a yield of 5.8%. Investors will be hard-pressed to find a better yield in other sectors – Treasury bonds are down below 1%.In the past week, three company officers have made purchases totaling $69,000, $63,000, and $79,000, each for a block of 10,000 shares. The officers include Ann Menard, Chief Legal Officer, Scott Kingsmore, CFO, and Kenneth Volk, Executive VP. The purchases are the latest in a series of ‘informative buys’ of this stock over the past month, totaling more than $1.4 million. Management is confident in the company – enough to keep buying in.Evercore ISI’s analyst Samir Khanal is also confident in MAC shares. He gives the stock a Buy rating, and his $30 price target indicates the extent of his confidence: a whopping 335% upside potential.In his comments on Macerich, Khanal says, “While we recognize that it may be early to know exactly what the damage or the financial impact from COVID-19 will be on MAC, or the mall sector at large, we are taking a proactive step to address potential impacts that may occur especially if the virus is prolonged.” The analyst adds that MAC is taking steps to protect its leases in the near-term. (To watch Khanal’s track record, click here)Overall, MAC shares are rated a Moderate Sell by the analyst consensus. There are seven reviews, breaking down as 1 Buy, 2 Holds – and 5 Sells. Shares are priced low, at $6.90, and have an average price target of $23.86, suggesting a possible 245% upside. (See Macerich’s stock analysis at TipRanks.)

Essential Properties Realty Trust Inc (EPRT) delivered earnings and revenue surprises of -6.45% and 0.27%, respectively, for the quarter ended March 2020. Do the numbers hold clues to what lies ahead for the stock?

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: EPRT; "Essential Properties" or the "Company"), today announced operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2020.

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (EPRT) delivered earnings and revenue surprises of -3.23% and 2.32%, respectively, for the quarter ended December 2019. Do the numbers hold clues to what lies ahead for the stock?

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: EPRT; "Essential Properties" or the "Company"), announced today that the Company will release its operating results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020 before the market open on Monday, May 11, 2020. The Company will host its first quarter 2020 earnings conference call and audio webcast on the same day at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time to discuss its operating results.

Coronavirus is probably the 1 concern in investors' minds right now. It should be. On February 27th we published an article with the title Recession is Imminent: We Need A Travel Ban NOW. We predicted that a US recession is imminent and US stocks will go down by at least 20% in the next 3-6 […]

Additionally, there will be an audio webcast available on Essential Properties website at www.essentialproperties.com, an archive of which will be available for 90 days. It is now my pleasure to turn the call over to Dan Donlan, Senior Vice President and Head of Capital Markets at Essential Properties. With me today to discuss our first quarter results are Pete Mavoides, our President and CEO; Gregg Seibert, our COO; and Anthony Dobkin our Interim CFO.

Essential Properties (EPRT) is seeing favorable earnings estimate revision activity and has a positive Zacks Earnings ESP heading into earnings season.

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: EPRT; "Essential Properties" or the "Company"), today announced operating results for the three months and year ended December 31, 2019.

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: EPRT; the "Company"), today announced the election of Anthony K. Dobkin, a member of the Company’s Board of Directors, as Interim Chief Financial Officer, effective March 17, 2020. Hillary P. Hai, the Company’s former Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, will leave the Company on April 30, 2020 and will facilitate the transition of the Chief Financial Officer’s responsibilities to Mr. Dobkin.

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:EPRT; the "Company") today announced that, due to the emerging public health impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and to support the health and well-being of our stockholders, employees and directors, the location of the Company’s 2020 annual meeting of stockholders has been changed and will be held in a virtual meeting format only. As previously announced, the annual meeting will be held on Thursday, April 30, 2020 at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time. To be admitted to the Annual Meeting and vote your shares, you must register by Tuesday, April 28, 2020, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (the "Registration Deadline") and provide the control number as described in the notice or proxy card at www.proxydocs.com/EPRT. After completion of your registration by the Registration Deadline, further instructions, including a unique link to access the Annual Meeting and vote during the meeting, will be emailed to you. Further information regarding this change to the location of the annual meeting can be found in the proxy supplement filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 31, 2020.

JLL vs. EPRT: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

Shares of Essential Properties Realty Trust (NYSE:EPRT) remained unaffected at $13.32 after the company reported Q1 results.Quarterly Results Earnings per share were up 7.41% year over year to $0.29, which beat the estimate of $0.17.Revenue of $41,487,000 higher by 33.37% from the same period last year, which missed the estimate of $42,010,000.Outlook Essential Props Realty hasn't issued any earnings guidance for the time being.Revenue guidance hasn't been issued by the company for now.Details Of The Call Date: May 11, 2020View more earnings on EPRTTime: 08:03 PM ETWebcast URL: https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/2056/34443Price Action Company's 52-week high was at $29.3452-week low: $6.08Price action over last quarter: down 45.65%Company Profile Essential Properties Realty Trust Inc is a real estate investment trust. It acquires, owns and manages single-tenant properties that are net leased on a long-term basis to middle-market companies operating service-oriented or experience-based businesses.See more from Benzinga * WhiteHorse Finance: Q1 Earnings Insights * Corbus Pharmaceuticals: Q1 Earnings Insights * Avaya: Q2 Earnings Insights(C) 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: EPRT; the "Company") announced today that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.23 per share of common stock for the first quarter of 2020. This represents an annualized dividend of $0.92 per share of common stock. The dividend is payable on April 15, 2020 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on March 31, 2020.

For beginners, it can seem like a good idea (and an exciting prospect) to buy a company that tells a good story to...

Since February 19, stock markets have been falling, with the series of roller coaster sessions leaving investors reeling. In the last two weeks, markets fell in six out of ten trading sessions, and the drops were larger than the gains. The S&P 500 finished Friday’s trading session down by 4.4%, and hit a three-year low. Falling markets, however difficult they may be for traders’ portfolio values and companies’ market caps, can be accommodated. Investors can get used to lower stock prices, or can switch to bearish strategies to cope. The bigger question now is, will the economy as a whole get pushed into a recession, and if so, how long will it last? These questions are urgent. Goldman Sachs is sounding a red alert, warning of a possible 24% contraction in the US economy for Q2 2020. Not every business sector lends itself to remote work, and those workers don’t have the opportunity now to go out and spend – while the services supported and provided by ‘nonessential workers’ are shutting down. Coronavirus may not be a particularly dangerous disease for everyone, but it’s clearly having an enormous impact. Impact, however, does not have to mean irreparable damage. You can rescue your portfolio, with some judicious stock choices. We’ve used the TipRanks Insiders’ Hot Stocks tool to find out which stocks the market’s insiders are snapping up, with a view to the long-term and the post-coronavirus recovery. Here are three of their favorite choices. FedEx Corporation (FDX) Government-ordered shutdowns and quarantines are hurting FedEx for the obvious reasons. The shipping company is seeing less business – stores are ordering less stock, people facing layoffs are placing fewer online orders. As manufacturing begins to return in Asia, conditions are worsening in Europe. Uncertainty is the word of the day for FedEx. The company’s fiscal Q3 report, covering the period ending February 29, showed a miss on earnings. The $1.41 reported was 5.4% below the $1.49 expected, and less than half the $3.03 shown in the year-ago quarter. Revenues did better, as the $17.5 billion reported was up 2.8% from the year before. The strong revenues reassured investors, and the stock gained after the report; nevertheless, FDX shares are down 27% so far this year. On a positive note, FDX has kept its 18-year record of reliable dividend payments. The company maintained its 65-cent quarterly payment, announced on March 6 and due out on April 1. The annualized payment of $2.60 gives a yield of 2.34%, higher than the ~2% average among S&P listed peer companies – and far higher than bond yields. Additionally, at least one insider is bullish on FDX. Board of Directors member John Edwardson has been snapping up shares for the last six months – and his most recent purchase, just last week, was significant to say the least– he shelled out $560,200 for 5,000 shares. This brings his total holding in FedEx to more than 82,000 shares, worth over $9 million. Clearly, Edwardson sees the advantages outweighing the negatives here. Some of Wall Street’s top analysts would agree. Writing for Cowen, 5-star analyst Helane Becker sees long-term benefits for FedEx: “Social distancing is accelerating the growth of ecommerce, a trend FedEx is well positioned to benefit from. The continued restriction of passenger air travel to certain regions has resulted in reduced belly capacity, leaving an opening for shippers like FedEx to grab share… the company notes Asia manufacturing has started to come back, which should drive increased demand for FedEx's international export service…” Becker shows some caution by reducing her price target to $156, but still sees an impressive 40% upside potential for the coming year, and maintains her Buy rating on the stock. (To watch Becker’s track record, click here) Credit Suisse analyst Allison Landry, also rated 5-stars by TipRanks, is more bullish, backing her Buy rating with a price target of $159 – suggesting an upside of 43%. (To watch Landry’s track record, click here) In her comments on the stock, Landry writes, “[W]e think it is prudent that FDX pulled its FY20 guidance. While it is too early to call for a bottom in either earnings or for the stock here, we do think that FDX is well positioned as an early beneficiary from COVID-driven supply chain disruptions – particularly as it relates to a tightening of int’l airfreight capacity… we think this sets up well for Express margin improvement next year.” Overall, FDX shares have a Moderate Buy rating from the analyst consensus, based on 19 reviews. These include 9 Buys and 10 Holds. Shares are priced at $111.06, and the average price target, $139.40, indicates room for a potential 26% upside growth in the coming year. (See FedEx stock analysis on TipRanks)Repay Holdings Corporation (RPAY) This holding company controls subsidiaries in the financial sector, mainly acting as a payment processor for US customers. RPAY was an inactive stock through much of 2019, as the company was conducting a merger with Thunder Bridge. In a deal worth $580.7 million, Thunder Bridge acquired Repay and the combined entity began trading as RPAY, on NASDAQ, in the last week of July. Business remained strong after the merger, and the company reported solid results in Q4. Revenues came in at $49.3 million, up 45% from the year before, and EPS was reported at 20 cents. Repay also reported a 72% increase in card payment volume, to $3.4 billion, a key metric for a payment processor. RPAY shares have seen two major informative insider purchases in recent days. Richard Thornburgh and Paul Garcia, both members of the Board of Directors, bought up over 82,000 shares between them. Thornburgh made the smaller purchase, of 16,600 shares for $258,000. Garcia’s purchase, of 65,600 shares, came to $998,000. Together, the purchases have skewed the insider sentiment on this stock strongly positive. Robert Napoli, 5-star analyst with William Blair, sees Repay in a strong position despite the economic dislocations caused by the COVID-19 epidemic. He writes, “Repay believes it is gaining market share due to the disruption from COVID-19. While the lending market may decline, Repay's lender clients are increasingly looking to make it easier for their borrowers to repay loans electronically. In addition, in a market environment where prime lenders are likely to tighten credit standards, more borrowers may not qualify for prime loans and move into the non-bank market, Repay's focus.” As a result, Napoli reiterated his Buy rating on the stock, although he declined to set a definite price target. (To watch Napoli’s track record, click here) Writing for Credit Suisse, Timothy Chiodo is also bullish here. He gives RPAY shares a $17 price target, suggesting a 12-month upside potential of 45%, and reiterates his Buy rating. (To watch Chiodo’s track record, click here) Commenting on the stock, Chiodo writes, “We remain bullish on RPAY, with our stance grounded in expectations for further debit penetration of existing verticals, entry into new verticals, and persistent gross profit growth…” Wall Street is upbeat about this stock, and that shows in the analyst consensus. With a unanimous 5 Buy-side reviews, RPAY has a Strong Buy consensus rating. Shares are priced at a bargain, $11.75, and the $19.50 average price target implies room for 66% growth to the upside in the coming year. (See Repay stock analysis on TipRanks)Essential Properties Realty Trust, Inc. (EPRT) The last stock on our list is a real estate investment trust. These companies, which buy, own, manage, and lease assorted properties, make their profits on management fees and rents. They are also popular among income-minded investors – tax code regulations require that they return a high percentage of profits to shareholders, and so they typically show high dividend yields no matter the economic conditions. EPRT is no exception. The annualized dividend, 92 cents per share, gives the stock a yield of 7.25%, which is far higher than investors can find elsewhere, either in the stock market or in the bond market. EPRT’s next payment is due on April 15. In addition to a strong dividend, EPRT also boasts a strongly positive insider sentiment. Anthony Dobkin, Board member and interim CFO of the company, purchased over $343,000 worth of shares last week, a holding totaling 40,000 shares. Also buying in was executive VP Scott Estes, who also picked up 40,000 shares. In all, EPRT has seen over $830,000 in insider purchases in the last few days. Investors can take note. That being said, EPRT faces a potential risk, as its model is based on leasing properties to middle-market service-oriented companies. However, the company boasts a strong portfolio and firm position in its field. 4-star analyst John Massocca, of Ladenburg Thalmann, noted that EPRT’s current properties are fully leased and secured for the long term: “As of December 31, 2019, the REIT owned 1,000 freestanding net lease properties leased to 205 tenants operating 265 different concepts in 16 distinct industries across 44 states. These properties were 100% leased at 4Q'19 end and had a weighted average remaining lease term of 14.6 years.” In light of the company’s reliable income stream, Massocca reiterated his Buy rating but reduced the price target by 50 cents. The $27 price target still implies an impressive 113% upside potential for the stock over the next 12 months. (To watch Massocca’s track record, click here) EPRT holds a Moderate Buy consensus rating, as both of its most recent reviewers rated the stock a Buy. It’s currently selling for a discounted $12.69, and the average price target of $27 means the upside potential matches Massocca’s forecast. (See EPRT stock-price forecast on TipRanks)