M&T Bank Corp Has $24.37 Million Position in Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS

Key Points

• M&T Bank Corp boosted its stake in Essex Property Trust by 8,827.8% in Q4 to 93,117 shares worth $24.37 million (about 0.14% of the company), and institutional investors now own roughly 96.51% of ESS.
• Essex reported quarterly EPS of $3.98 (missing estimates by $0.02) on $479.63 million of revenue and set FY2026 guidance of 15.69–16.19 EPS.
• The board raised the quarterly dividend to $2.59 (annualized $10.36) for a ~4.1% yield with a ~99.5% payout ratio, while analysts’ consensus is a Hold with an average price target of $282.

M&T Bank Corp increased its position in Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS - Free Report) by 8,827.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 93,117 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 92,074 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp owned 0.14% of Essex Property Trust worth $24,367,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased 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 worth $31,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC increased 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 worth $46,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. acquired a new position in Essex Property Trust in the third quarter worth approximately $48,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in Essex Property Trust in the second quarter worth approximately $54,000. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in Essex Property Trust in the third quarter worth approximately $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.51% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on ESS shares. UBS Group increased their price objective on Essex Property Trust from $267.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on Essex Property Trust from $284.00 to $278.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $290.00 price target on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Monday, February 9th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $278.00 price target on Essex Property Trust in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Essex Property Trust from $292.00 to $271.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Essex Property Trust presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $282.00.

Essex Property Trust Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of ESS stock opened at $252.07 on Thursday. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a 12 month low of $238.46 and a 12 month high of $294.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The business's 50 day moving average is $250.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $254.94. The company has a market cap of $16.25 billion, a PE ratio of 24.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.94 and a beta of 0.71.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $3.98 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.00 by ($0.02). Essex Property Trust had a net margin of 35.48% and a return on equity of 11.61%. The company had revenue of $479.63 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $474.66 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.92 EPS. Essex Property Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 15.690-16.190 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 3.890-4.010 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 16.03 EPS for the current year.

Essex Property Trust Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $2.59 per share. This represents a $10.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. 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 dividend payout ratio is 99.52%.

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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