Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts rate Essex as a "Hold" — 18 analysts cover the stock (14 hold, 4 buy) with an average 12‑month target of $282 and mixed recent target revisions from firms like UBS, Cantor Fitzgerald, Jefferies and Barclays.
• Institutional investors have been active buyers — Norges Bank, UBS AM and others added large stakes, leaving roughly 96.51% of shares held by hedge funds and other institutions.
• Recent results showed a slight EPS miss (Q: $3.98 vs. $4.00 est.) but revenue beat and FY2026 guidance of 15.690–16.190 EPS; the company raised its quarterly dividend to $2.59 (annualized $10.36) for a 4.2% yield while maintaining a high payout ratio (~98.8%).

Shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the eighteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $282.00.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on ESS shares. UBS Group lifted their target price on Essex Property Trust from $267.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $290.00 price target on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and issued a $282.00 price objective (down from $304.00) on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Monday, December 15th. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust from $284.00 to $278.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Essex Property Trust from $292.00 to $271.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 6th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essex Property Trust

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Essex Property Trust during the fourth quarter worth $230,690,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust by 973.0% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 743,954 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $199,127,000 after acquiring an additional 674,617 shares during the period. Centersquare Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust by 473.5% in the 3rd quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 516,756 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $138,315,000 after acquiring an additional 426,650 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 worth $299,522,000 after acquiring an additional 344,287 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 21.9% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,679,607 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $439,520,000 after acquiring an additional 301,349 shares in the last quarter. 96.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Essex Property Trust Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ESS opened at $246.41 on Friday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $253.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $258.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. Essex Property Trust has a one year low of $243.25 and a one year high of $310.10. The firm has a market cap of $15.89 billion, a PE ratio of 23.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.75 and a beta of 0.73.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $3.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.00 by ($0.02). Essex Property Trust had a net margin of 35.48% and a return on equity of 11.61%. The firm had revenue of $479.63 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $474.66 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $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. As a group, equities analysts predict that Essex Property Trust will post 15.96 EPS for the current year.

Essex Property Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a $2.59 dividend. This represents a $10.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This is a boost from Essex Property Trust's previous quarterly dividend of $2.57. Essex Property Trust's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.