Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Essex Property Trust experienced a significant 33.3% decrease in short interest, dropping from 2,040,000 shares in July to 1,360,000 shares in August, representing approximately 2.1% of its total shares.
• The company reported an EPS of $4.03 for the last quarter, surpassing estimates by $0.04, and provided Q3 2025 guidance of $3.890-3.990 EPS.
• Essex Property Trust declared a quarterly dividend of $2.57, with a yield of 3.8%, set to be paid on October 15th.

Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS - Get Free Report) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,360,000 shares, adeclineof33.3% from the July 31st total of 2,040,000 shares. Approximately2.1% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 517,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.6 days. Based on an average daily volume of 517,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.6 days. Approximately2.1% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Essex Property Trust Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of ESS traded up $3.59 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $268.09. 418,315 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 389,105. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Essex Property Trust has a 1 year low of $243.85 and a 1 year high of $317.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.55, a PEG ratio of 6.89 and a beta of 0.83. The business's 50-day moving average price is $272.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $281.57.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $4.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.99 by $0.04. Essex Property Trust had a return on equity of 13.98% and a net margin of 43.51%.The firm had revenue of $465.84 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $466.47 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.94 earnings per share. Essex Property Trust has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 3.890-3.990 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 15.800-16.020 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Essex Property Trust will post 15.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essex Property Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be paid a $2.57 dividend. This represents a $10.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 30th. Essex Property Trust's dividend payout ratio is presently 82.64%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Essex Property Trust from $306.00 to $307.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Scotiabank dropped their price target on Essex Property Trust from $320.00 to $309.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Essex Property Trust from $304.00 to $285.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Essex Property Trust from $297.00 to $295.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Essex Property Trust from $301.50 to $305.50 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Essex Property Trust currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $300.44.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essex Property Trust

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in Essex Property Trust by 300.0% in the second 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. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Essex Property Trust in the first quarter worth $31,000. Ransom Advisory Ltd bought a new stake in Essex Property Trust in the first quarter worth $31,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in Essex Property Trust in the first quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Princeton Global Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Essex Property Trust in the second quarter worth $34,000. 96.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Essex Property Trust Company Profile

Essex Property Trust, Inc, an S&P 500 company, is a fully integrated real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, develops, redevelops, and manages multifamily residential properties in selected West Coast markets. Essex currently has ownership interests in 252 apartment communities comprising approximately 62,000 apartment homes with an additional property in active development.

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