Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Sells 51,644 Shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS

Key Points

• Daiwa Securities Group cut its stake in Essex Property Trust by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 51,644 shares and still holding 1,105,973 shares valued at about $289.4 million.
• Essex Property Trust posted mixed quarterly results, with earnings of $1.65 per share missing analyst expectations, while revenue of $484.76 million came in slightly ahead of estimates. The company also guided Q2 2026 EPS at 3.920-4.040.
• The REIT announced a quarterly dividend of $2.59 per share, payable July 15, implying an annualized payout of $10.36 and a 3.6% yield. Analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with an average target price of $286.97.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. reduced its stake in Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS - Free Report) by 4.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,105,973 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 51,644 shares during the quarter. Essex Property Trust comprises 0.9% of Daiwa Securities Group Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. owned about 1.72% of Essex Property Trust worth $289,411,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cibc World Market Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 41.6% in the fourth quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 62,161 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $16,266,000 after acquiring an additional 18,249 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 69.6% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 15,160 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $3,967,000 after acquiring an additional 6,223 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 467,394 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $122,308,000 after acquiring an additional 38,528 shares during the period. Westpac Banking Corp lifted its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 24.3% in the fourth quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 12,152 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $3,180,000 after acquiring an additional 2,372 shares during the period. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 25,684 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $6,721,000 after acquiring an additional 598 shares during the period. 96.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essex Property Trust Price Performance

Shares of ESS opened at $284.51 on Friday. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a 52-week low of $238.46 and a 52-week high of $294.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The business's 50 day moving average price is $261.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $257.40. The firm has a market cap of $18.28 billion, a PE ratio of 31.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.00 and a beta of 0.72.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.96 by ($2.31). Essex Property Trust had a net margin of 30.03% and a return on equity of 10.00%. The business had revenue of $484.76 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $479.89 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.97 earnings per share. Essex Property Trust has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 3.920-4.040 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 16.08 EPS for the current year.

Essex Property Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $2.59 per share. This represents a $10.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Essex Property Trust's dividend payout ratio is presently 116.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Essex Property Trust

In other news, Director Mary Kasaris sold 600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.45, for a total transaction of $167,670.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,394 shares of the company's stock, valued at $669,003.30. This represents a 20.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 3.47% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on ESS shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Essex Property Trust from $279.00 to $281.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Barclays lifted their price objective on Essex Property Trust from $272.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Essex Property Trust from $262.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday. Raymond James Financial reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised Essex Property Trust from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $275.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued 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 target price of $286.97.

Essex Property Trust 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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