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

Key Points

• Eighteen analysts give Essex a consensus recommendation of Hold (14 holds, 4 buys) with an average 12‑month target of $282, and several firms have recently trimmed or nudged targets into the low $270s.
• Essex raised its quarterly dividend to $2.59 (annualized $10.36), a 4.2% yield, though the payout ratio is very high at 99.52%.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $3.98 (missed by $0.02) with a slight revenue beat, and issued FY2026 guidance of 15.690–16.190 EPS and Q1 guidance of 3.890–4.010 (consensus ~15.96).

Shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Hold" by the eighteen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $282.00.

Several research firms recently commented on ESS. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Essex Property Trust from $267.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Barclays cut their price target 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. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $283.00 to $273.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Scotiabank cut their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $284.00 to $278.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Thursday, January 22nd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essex Property Trust

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 1,054 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $282,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC grew its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 814 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $213,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 57.5% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 115 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Segment Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 913 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $239,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Norinchukin Bank The lifted its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 6,957 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,862,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.51% of the company's stock.

Essex Property Trust Price Performance

ESS stock opened at $248.92 on Tuesday. 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 52 week low of $238.46 and a 52 week high of $294.09. The firm's fifty day moving average is $251.25 and its 200 day moving average is $255.53. The firm has a market cap of $16.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.91, a P/E/G ratio of 7.84 and a beta of 0.71.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 35.48% and a return on equity of 11.61%. The business had revenue of $479.63 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $474.66 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business 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. Research analysts predict that Essex Property Trust will post 15.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Essex Property Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $2.59 dividend. This is a boost from Essex Property Trust's previous quarterly dividend of $2.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $10.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.2%. Essex Property Trust's payout ratio is 99.52%.

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.

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