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

Shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have issued a hold recommendation and nine have assigned 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 $292.0833.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group set a $290.00 target price on Essex Property Trust in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Raymond James Financial upgraded Essex Property Trust from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Essex Property Trust from $279.00 to $281.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Essex Property Trust from $278.00 to $281.50 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Thursday, June 18th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Essex Property Trust news, Director Mary Kasaris sold 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.45, for a total value of $167,670.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,394 shares in the company, valued at $669,003.30. The trade was a 20.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 3.47% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essex Property Trust

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nemes Rush Group LLC acquired a new position in Essex Property Trust in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust in the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. Western Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust in the 1st quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust by 120.0% in the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 176 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. 96.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essex Property Trust Stock Performance

ESS opened at $295.38 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.98 billion, a PE ratio of 33.19, a PEG ratio of 12.75 and a beta of 0.72. Essex Property Trust has a twelve month low of $238.46 and a twelve month high of $295.85. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $272.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $259.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.96 by ($2.31). The company had revenue of $484.76 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $479.89 million. Essex Property Trust had a return on equity of 10.00% and a net margin of 30.03%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.97 earnings per share. Essex Property Trust has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 3.920-4.040 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Essex Property Trust will post 16.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essex Property Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $2.59 dividend. This represents a $10.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Essex Property Trust’s payout ratio is presently 116.40%.

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.