Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Increases Stock Holdings in Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management increased its stake in Essex Property Trust by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, owning 203,079 shares valued at about $52.2 million. Institutional investors remain heavily involved, with hedge funds and other institutions holding 96.51% of the stock.
• Analysts remain cautious overall on ESS: the stock has a Hold consensus rating and an average price target of $282.97. Recent moves included slight target increases from Robert W. Baird, Barclays, and RBC, though most ratings are still neutral or hold-like.
• Essex Property Trust reported Q1 earnings of $1.65 per share, well below the $3.96 consensus estimate, even as revenue slightly beat expectations. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $2.59 per share, implying a 3.9% yield.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS - Free Report) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 203,079 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 4,286 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.32% of Essex Property Trust worth $52,169,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ESS. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust by 57.5% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 115 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in Essex Property Trust by 120.0% in the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 176 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in Essex Property Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at $51,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new position in Essex Property Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC grew its position in Essex Property Trust by 351.6% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 289 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $77,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.51% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on ESS shares. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Essex Property Trust from $279.00 to $281.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Barclays upped their price objective on Essex Property Trust from $271.00 to $272.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Essex Property Trust from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, April 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Essex Property Trust from $282.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $282.97.

Essex Property Trust Price Performance

ESS opened at $263.68 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average is $252.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $255.15. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a 1 year low of $238.46 and a 1 year high of $294.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.94 billion, a PE ratio of 29.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.38 and a beta of 0.71.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.96 by ($2.31). Essex Property Trust had a net margin of 30.03% and a return on equity of 10.00%. The company had revenue of $484.76 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $479.89 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.97 EPS. Essex Property Trust has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 3.920-4.040 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 16.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essex Property Trust Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a $2.59 dividend. This represents a $10.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. This is a boost from Essex Property Trust's previous quarterly dividend of $2.57. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. Essex Property Trust's payout ratio is presently 116.40%.

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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