Centersquare Investment Management LLC Boosts Stake in Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS

Centersquare Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) by 473.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 516,756 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 426,650 shares during the period. Essex Property Trust makes up approximately 1.4% of Centersquare Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Centersquare Investment Management LLC owned 0.80% of Essex Property Trust worth $138,315,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Essex Property Trust during the second quarter worth $239,442,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in Essex Property Trust by 48.3% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 1,056,887 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $299,522,000 after purchasing an additional 344,287 shares during the period. Boston Partners grew its stake in Essex Property Trust by 28.3% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 860,854 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $243,910,000 after purchasing an additional 189,663 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 42.1% during the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 509,455 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $144,400,000 after purchasing an additional 150,869 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 28.1% during the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 619,011 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $175,428,000 after purchasing an additional 135,965 shares during the period. 96.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Essex Property Trust Stock Performance

NYSE ESS opened at $260.22 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $255.62 and its 200-day moving average is $259.04. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.25 and a 12-month high of $316.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The firm has a market cap of $16.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.12 and a beta of 0.74.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) last released 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 business had revenue of $479.63 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $474.66 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $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. Sell-side analysts predict that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 15.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Essex Property Trust Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $2.59 per share. This represents a $10.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Essex Property Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.57. Essex Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently 98.75%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ESS. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $282.00 price target (down from $304.00) on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Essex Property Trust from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $275.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $290.00 price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Essex Property Trust presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $283.87.

About Essex Property Trust

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.