Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) Sets New 1-Year Low - Here's Why

Key Points

• 52-week low: Shares of Essex Property Trust fell to a new 52-week low of $243.08 on Friday, trading around $244.56 on volume of ~109k shares.
• Analysts have trimmed targets and issued downgrades but the consensus remains a “Hold” with a $282 consensus price target; some firms cut targets while others reaffirmed neutral/market-perform ratings.
• Essex slightly missed Q4 EPS ($3.98 vs. $4.00 estimate) while beating revenue, issued FY2026 EPS guidance of 15.69–16.19 (consensus ~15.96), and raised its quarterly dividend to $2.59 (4.3% yield) with a high payout ratio of 98.75%.

Shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low on Friday . The company traded as low as $243.08 and last traded at $244.5550, with a volume of 108934 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $246.28.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ESS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Essex Property Trust from $283.00 to $273.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Essex Property Trust from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Raymond James Financial reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Essex Property Trust from $267.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $282.00.

Essex Property Trust Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $15.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.43, a P/E/G ratio of 7.75 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. The firm's fifty day moving average is $253.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $258.11.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $3.98 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 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 earned $3.92 earnings per share. 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, analysts anticipate that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 15.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essex Property Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $2.59 per share. 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. Essex Property Trust's dividend payout ratio is 98.75%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essex Property Trust

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Nemes Rush Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in Essex Property Trust during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in 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 valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in Essex Property Trust in the 2nd quarter worth $48,000. 96.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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