Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the seventeen ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $283.8667.

Several equities analysts recently commented on ESS shares. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $267.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $290.00 target price on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $278.00 price target on Essex Property Trust in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Barclays restated a “positive” rating and set a $292.00 price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $282.00 target price (down previously from $304.00) on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Monday, December 15th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essex Property Trust

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its position in Essex Property Trust by 11.5% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 23,136 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $6,193,000 after acquiring an additional 2,395 shares in the last quarter. Barings LLC purchased a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust in the second quarter valued at approximately $829,000. Spire Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust by 12,050.0% in the second quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 243 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. Stableford Capital II LLC acquired a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,636,000. Finally, GAM Holding AG purchased a new stake in Essex Property Trust during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,146,000. 96.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Essex Property Trust Stock Performance

NYSE:ESS opened at $254.92 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $255.68 and its 200 day moving average is $259.02. Essex Property Trust has a fifty-two week low of $243.25 and a fifty-two week high of $316.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.42 billion, a PE ratio of 24.49, a PEG ratio of 8.00 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 1.18.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $3.98 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.00 by ($0.02). Essex Property Trust had a return on equity of 11.61% and a net margin of 35.48%.The firm had revenue of $479.63 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $474.66 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.92 earnings per share. Essex Property Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 15.690-16.190 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 3.890-4.010 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Essex Property Trust will post 15.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Essex Property Trust Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a $2.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $10.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. This is a boost from Essex Property Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.57. Essex Property Trust’s payout ratio is 98.75%.

Essex Property Trust Company Profile

Essex Property Trust, Inc (NYSE: ESS) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust that acquires, develops, owns and operates multifamily residential properties. The company focuses on market-rate apartment communities and delivers a full suite of property services including leasing, resident services, asset management, and capital improvement programs designed to preserve and enhance long‑term property values.

Essex concentrates its portfolio in West Coast markets, with a significant presence in California and the Pacific Northwest.