American Century Companies Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. cut its stake in Essex Property Trust by 9.2% in Q3 to 264,887 shares (selling 26,826 shares), leaving a position worth about $70.9 million (≈0.41% of the company).
• Essex raised its quarterly dividend to $2.59 (annualized $10.36) for a yield of ~4.0%; the ex-dividend date is March 31 and the dividend is payable April 15, with a high payout ratio of 98.75%.
• Analysts' consensus is "Hold" with a $283.31 price target; the company slightly missed quarterly EPS ($3.98 vs. $4.00 consensus) but beat revenue and set FY2026 guidance of $15.69–$16.19 EPS (street average ≈15.96).

American Century Companies Inc. cut its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS - Free Report) by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 264,887 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 26,826 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.41% of Essex Property Trust worth $70,900,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESS. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust by 57.5% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 115 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Tobam lifted its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust by 167.3% during the second quarter. Tobam now owns 131 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new position in Essex Property Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at $48,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. acquired a new position in Essex Property Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in Essex Property Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at $54,000. 96.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ESS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $283.00 to $273.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed 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. Mizuho boosted their target price on Essex Property Trust from $275.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Essex Property Trust currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $283.31.

Essex Property Trust Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:ESS opened at $256.22 on Thursday. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.25 and a 52-week high of $310.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $255.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $259.08. The company has a market capitalization of $16.52 billion, a PE ratio of 24.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.03 and a beta of 0.73.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $3.98 earnings per share 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 analysts' expectations of $474.66 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $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. On average, equities research analysts expect that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 15.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essex Property Trust Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued 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 is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $10.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. Essex Property Trust's 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.

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