Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS Shares Purchased by Asset Management One Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• Asset Management One increased its Essex Property Trust stake by 8.8% in the third quarter, purchasing 10,769 additional shares for a total holding of 132,512 shares valued at approximately $35.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 96.51% of ESS.
• Essex raised its full-year 2026 core FFO guidance, supported by improving rental trends in Northern California, although third-quarter FFO of $4.00 per share narrowly missed estimates and GAAP EPS fell well short of expectations.
• ESS shares opened at $261.70, below the analyst consensus price target of $298.62. The REIT pays a $2.59 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 4.0% yield, but its 161.12% payout ratio highlights limited earnings coverage.

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS - Free Report) by 8.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 132,512 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 10,769 shares during the quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.21% of Essex Property Trust worth $35,697,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pension & Wealth Management Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Essex Property Trust in the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust during the first quarter valued at $38,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 523.1% during the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 162 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. Western Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust during the first quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust by 31.2% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 265 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.51% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Essex Property Trust

Here are the key news stories impacting Essex Property Trust this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Essex raised its full-year 2026 core funds from operations (FFO) guidance, signaling confidence in operating performance. Northern California properties were a key growth driver, supported by improving rental trends. Essex Announces Third Quarter 2026 Results and Raises Full-Year 2026 Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly FFO was approximately $4.00 per share, broadly stable with the prior-year period, while management’s guidance increase provides a constructive signal for 2026 cash-flow expectations. Essex Property Trust Raises 2026 Earnings Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue was about $492.7 million, close to estimates, but the quarter’s headline GAAP earnings were affected by items that make comparisons with FFO less representative. Essex Reports Third-Quarter Results
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter FFO of $4.00 per share narrowly missed the $4.01 consensus estimate, while GAAP EPS of $1.52 was well below expectations and net income declined from the year-earlier period. Essex Q3 FFO and Revenues Miss Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Rising property expenses are outpacing revenue growth, pressuring margins and raising concerns about near-term earnings momentum. With ESS trading at a relatively elevated valuation, investors appear to be treating the earnings miss and cost pressure as more important than the higher guidance. ESS Q3 FFO and Revenues Miss Estimates Amid Rising Property Expenses

Essex Property Trust Stock Performance

Shares of ESS opened at $261.70 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $275.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $269.53. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a one year low of $238.46 and a one year high of $303.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. The stock has a market cap of $16.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.70, a P/E/G ratio of 8.27 and a beta of 0.70.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.01 by ($2.49). Essex Property Trust had a net margin of 21.48% and a return on equity of 7.33%. The business had revenue of $492.69 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $491.01 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.97 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 16.11 EPS for the current year.

Essex Property Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 30th were issued a $2.59 dividend. This represents a $10.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 30th. Essex Property Trust's payout ratio is 161.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ESS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Evercore set a $299.00 price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Citizens Jmp upgraded shares of Essex Property Trust from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $330.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust from $297.00 to $285.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Essex Property Trust from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Mizuho downgraded Essex Property Trust from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $308.00 to $295.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $298.62.

About Essex Property Trust

Essex Property Trust, Inc is a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust that owns, develops, redevelops, and manages multifamily apartment communities. The company focuses on providing rental housing in high-demand markets and generates revenue primarily from apartment rents and related resident services.

Founded in 1971 and headquartered in San Mateo, California, Essex operates primarily in Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the Seattle metropolitan area.

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