Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) Updates Q2 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Q2 2026 EPS guidance set at 3.920–4.040, which is slightly below the consensus estimate of 4.060.
• The company reported a strong Q1 result with $4.06 EPS versus analysts' $1.43 estimate, and analysts forecast ~16.03 EPS for the year.
• Essex raised its quarterly dividend to $2.59 (annualized $10.36, ~3.9% yield), though its dividend payout ratio is high at ~99.5%.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS - Get Free Report) updated its second quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 3.920-4.040 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 4.060. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Essex Property Trust from $279.00 to $281.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Essex Property Trust from $268.00 to $262.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. BMO Capital Markets lowered Essex Property Trust from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $305.00 to $280.00 in a report on Friday, January 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Essex Property Trust from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, April 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Essex Property Trust currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $281.69.

Essex Property Trust Stock Performance

ESS stock traded up $11.51 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $268.34. The stock had a trading volume of 696,624 shares, compared to its average volume of 527,862. The stock has a market cap of $17.30 billion, a PE ratio of 25.78, a P/E/G ratio of 8.01 and a beta of 0.71. 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 has a fifty day simple moving average of $251.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $254.79. Essex Property Trust has a 52-week low of $238.46 and a 52-week high of $294.09.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $4.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.43 by $2.63. Essex Property Trust had a return on equity of 11.61% and a net margin of 35.48%.Essex Property Trust has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 3.920-4.040 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Essex Property Trust will post 16.03 EPS for the current year.

Essex Property Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a $2.59 dividend. This is a positive change from Essex Property Trust's previous quarterly dividend of $2.57. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $10.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. Essex Property Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 99.52%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essex Property Trust

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in Essex Property Trust by 9.5% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 1,157,617 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $309,848,000 after acquiring an additional 100,730 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in Essex Property Trust by 31.3% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 958,090 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $250,714,000 after acquiring an additional 228,165 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Essex Property Trust by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 938,637 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $245,627,000 after purchasing an additional 9,450 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in Essex Property Trust by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 882,010 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $233,668,000 after purchasing an additional 32,981 shares during the period. Finally, Resolution Capital Ltd grew its position in Essex Property Trust by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Resolution Capital Ltd now owns 848,629 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $240,501,000 after purchasing an additional 26,661 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.51% of the company's stock.

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.

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