Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS Shares Acquired by Groupe la Francaise

Key Points

• Groupe la Française increased its Essex Property Trust stake by 598.6% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 16,207 shares valued at approximately $4.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 96.51% of ESS.
• Essex reported quarterly EPS of $4.08, well above the $1.46 analyst consensus, while revenue reached $489.05 million. The company guided for third-quarter 2026 EPS of $3.93–$4.05 and full-year EPS of $16.03–$16.25.
• The REIT declared a quarterly dividend of $2.59 per share, equivalent to a $10.36 annualized payout and a 3.7% yield. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $304.79.

Groupe la Francaise raised its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS - Free Report) by 598.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,207 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 13,887 shares during the period. Groupe la Francaise's holdings in Essex Property Trust were worth $4,726,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Essex Property Trust during the first quarter worth $1,664,000. Focus Partners Wealth purchased a new stake in shares of Essex Property Trust during the first quarter valued at $223,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 70.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 279 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 186.2% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 33,614 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $9,526,000 after purchasing an additional 21,871 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia increased its stake in Essex Property Trust by 10.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 8,274 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,345,000 after purchasing an additional 811 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.51% of the company's stock.

Essex Property Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ESS opened at $278.53 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a 1 year low of $238.46 and a 1 year high of $303.35. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $289.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $272.03. The firm has a market cap of $17.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.32, a P/E/G ratio of 10.19 and a beta of 0.69.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $4.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.46 by $2.62. Essex Property Trust had a return on equity of 7.33% and a net margin of 21.48%.The firm had revenue of $489.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $485.12 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.03 earnings per share. Essex Property Trust has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.930-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 16.030-16.250 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 16.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essex Property Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be paid a $2.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $10.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. Essex Property Trust's payout ratio is presently 161.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on ESS shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Essex Property Trust to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Essex Property Trust from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Citizens Jmp upgraded shares of Essex Property Trust from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $330.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $320.00 price target for the company. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $291.00 to $316.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Essex Property Trust presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $304.79.

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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