Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) Cut to “Sell” at Wall Street Zen

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Essex Property Trust from $280.00 to $268.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $275.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $282.00 price target (down from $304.00) on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Scotiabank cut their price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust from $294.00 to $284.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $283.87.

Essex Property Trust Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of Essex Property Trust stock opened at $257.69 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. Essex Property Trust has a twelve month low of $243.25 and a twelve month high of $316.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.60 billion, a PE ratio of 24.75, a P/E/G ratio of 6.06 and a beta of 0.74. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $255.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $260.52.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $3.98 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.00 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $479.63 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $474.66 million. Essex Property Trust had a net margin of 35.48% and a return on equity of 11.61%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.92 EPS. 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 predict that Essex Property Trust will post 15.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essex Property Trust

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESS. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust by 300.0% during the 2nd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 100 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in Essex Property Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 57.5% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 115 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Essex Property Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Tobam lifted its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust by 167.3% in the 2nd quarter. Tobam now owns 131 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.51% of the company’s stock.

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.