Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Invests $2.89 Million in Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group acquired 9,909 shares of Essex Property Trust in the second quarter, valued at approximately $2.89 million. Institutional investors collectively own 96.51% of the REIT’s outstanding stock.
• Essex reported quarterly EPS of $4.08, beating analysts’ $1.46 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $489.05 million versus expectations of $485.12 million. The company guided for third-quarter 2026 EPS of $3.93–$4.05 and full-year EPS of $16.03–$16.25.
• ESS carries a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $304.79. Shares recently opened at $284.49, after gaining 1.3%, with analyst targets ranging from $292.75 to $330.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 9,909 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $2,889,000.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust during the 2nd quarter worth $2,166,555,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,873,698 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $488,601,000 after purchasing an additional 22,835 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 21.9% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,679,607 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $439,520,000 after purchasing an additional 301,349 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in Essex Property Trust by 9.5% during the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 1,157,617 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $309,848,000 after purchasing an additional 100,730 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 6.1% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 995,810 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $240,989,000 after purchasing an additional 57,173 shares in the last quarter. 96.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Essex Property Trust Stock Up 1.3%

ESS stock opened at $284.49 on Friday. The company's 50 day moving average is $289.82 and its 200 day moving average is $270.92. The stock has a market cap of $18.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.27 and a beta of 0.69. 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.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $4.08 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.46 by $2.62. The business had revenue of $489.05 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $485.12 million. Essex Property Trust had a net margin of 21.48% and a return on equity of 7.33%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.03 EPS. 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 16.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $303.00 target price on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Citizens Jmp raised Essex Property Trust from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $330.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Essex Property Trust from $280.00 to $297.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $292.75 price objective on Essex Property Trust in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $304.79.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ESS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source