Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Buys 5,483 Shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors increased its stake in Essex Property Trust by 5,483 shares to 929,187 shares (about 1.44% of the company), valued at roughly $248.7 million as of the latest 13F filing.
• Other large institutions also increased exposure—most notably Norges Bank bought a new ~$239.4 million stake—and institutional investors now own about 96.51% of Essex’s stock, showing concentrated institutional ownership.
• Essex raised its quarterly dividend to $2.59 (annualized $10.36, ~4.1% yield) despite a high payout ratio of 98.75%; the stock trades at a market cap of ~$16.46 billion with a consensus Wall Street rating of “Hold” and a $282 target.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS - Free Report) by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 929,187 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 5,483 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 1.44% of Essex Property Trust worth $248,703,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Essex Property Trust during the second quarter worth $239,442,000. Centersquare Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Essex Property Trust by 473.5% during the 3rd quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 516,756 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $138,315,000 after acquiring an additional 426,650 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its stake in Essex Property Trust by 48.3% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 1,056,887 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $299,522,000 after acquiring an additional 344,287 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 28.3% during the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 860,854 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $243,910,000 after acquiring an additional 189,663 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 42.1% during the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 509,455 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $144,400,000 after acquiring an additional 150,869 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.51% of the company's stock.

Essex Property Trust Trading Down 1.1%

NYSE ESS opened at $255.28 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.52, a PEG ratio of 8.02 and a beta of 0.73. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a one year low of $243.25 and a one year high of $310.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The business's fifty day moving average is $255.13 and its 200-day moving average is $259.04.

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 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.00 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $479.63 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $474.66 million. Essex Property Trust had a net margin of 35.48% and a return on equity of 11.61%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.92 EPS. 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. Equities research analysts predict that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 15.96 EPS for the current 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 paid a $2.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Essex Property Trust's previous quarterly dividend of $2.57. This represents a $10.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. Essex Property Trust's dividend payout ratio is presently 98.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on ESS shares. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $282.00 target price (down from $304.00) on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Monday, December 15th. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Essex Property Trust from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $305.00 to $280.00 in a report on Friday, January 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust from $280.00 to $268.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $278.00 price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Essex Property Trust from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $282.00.

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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