Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have an average “Hold” rating on Essex Property Trust, with 11 hold, 10 buy, one strong-buy and one sell recommendation. The average 12-month price target is $304.14, above the reported $271.49 share price.
• Essex reported quarterly EPS of $4.08, exceeding the $1.46 consensus estimate, while revenue of $489.05 million also topped expectations. The company provided third-quarter 2026 EPS guidance of $3.93–$4.05 and full-year guidance of $16.03–$16.25.
• The REIT announced a quarterly dividend of $2.59 per share, equivalent to a $10.36 annualized payout and a 3.8% yield. Institutional investors own 96.51% of the stock.

Shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the twenty-three brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $304.1375.

A number of research firms recently commented on ESS. Raymond James Financial upgraded Essex Property Trust from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, June 26th. UBS Group set a $290.00 target price on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Essex Property Trust to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Citizens Jmp upgraded shares of Essex Property Trust from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $330.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $292.75 price target on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Thursday, July 30th.

Essex Property Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ESS opened at $271.49 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $17.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.22, a P/E/G ratio of 10.03 and a beta of 0.69. Essex Property Trust has a 1 year low of $238.46 and a 1 year high of $303.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $287.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $272.44.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $4.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.46 by $2.62. Essex Property Trust had a return on equity of 7.33% and a net margin of 21.48%.The firm had revenue of $489.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $485.12 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.03 earnings per share. Essex Property Trust has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.930-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 16.030-16.250 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Essex Property Trust will post 16.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essex Property Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $2.59 per share. This represents a $10.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. Essex Property Trust's dividend payout ratio is presently 161.12%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essex Property Trust

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 30,769.0% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 28,530,332 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $8,319,160,000 after buying an additional 28,437,908 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Essex Property Trust during the 2nd quarter worth $2,166,555,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Essex Property Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at $260,252,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Essex Property Trust in the 4th quarter valued at $230,690,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Essex Property Trust by 23,177.2% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 757,439 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $220,862,000 after buying an additional 754,185 shares during the last quarter. 96.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Essex Property Trust Company Profile

Essex Property Trust, Inc is a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust that owns, operates, develops and redevelops multifamily residential communities. Its portfolio primarily consists of apartment homes, supported by property management, maintenance and resident services.

The company focuses on high-demand coastal markets on the West Coast, particularly Northern and Southern California and the Seattle metropolitan area in Washington. Essex's properties are generally located near employment centers, transportation networks and other amenities, serving renters in major urban and suburban communities.

Founded in 1971, Essex Property Trust became a publicly traded real estate investment trust in 1994.

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