Entropy Technologies LP Boosts Holdings in Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS

Key Points

• Entropy Technologies LP sharply increased its stake in Essex Property Trust by 783.1% in the fourth quarter, ending with 20,205 shares valued at about $5.29 million.
• Despite broader institutional interest, an Essex director, Mary Kasaris, sold 600 shares in May, trimming her position by about 20%.
• Essex Property Trust recently reported mixed quarterly results, missing EPS estimates but slightly beating revenue expectations, and it also declared a $2.59 quarterly dividend yielding about 3.7%.

Entropy Technologies LP raised its holdings in Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS - Free Report) by 783.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 20,205 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 17,917 shares during the quarter. Entropy Technologies LP's holdings in Essex Property Trust were worth $5,287,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nemes Rush Group LLC purchased a new stake in Essex Property Trust in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new stake in Essex Property Trust in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 120.0% in the fourth quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 176 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in Essex Property Trust in the third quarter valued at $51,000. 96.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Essex Property Trust

In related news, Director Mary Kasaris sold 600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.45, for a total transaction of $167,670.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,394 shares in the company, valued at $669,003.30. This represents a 20.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 3.47% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Essex Property Trust Trading Up 1.0%

ESS stock opened at $283.40 on Friday. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $266.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $258.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a 52-week low of $238.46 and a 52-week high of $294.09. The firm has a market cap of $18.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.84, a PEG ratio of 12.25 and a beta of 0.72.

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

Essex Property Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $2.59 per share. This represents a $10.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Essex Property Trust's dividend payout ratio is 116.40%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on ESS. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $290.00 to $291.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Essex Property Trust from $273.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $296.00 target price on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Essex Property Trust from $278.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Essex Property Trust from $279.00 to $281.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $288.44.

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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