Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Raises Stock Holdings in Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS

Key Points

• Nomura Asset Management increased its stake in Essex Property Trust (NYSE: ESS) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, owning 255,533 shares valued at about $66.9 million. Several other institutional investors also boosted holdings, and institutions now own 96.51% of the company.
• Essex Property Trust reported weak quarterly earnings, posting $1.65 per share versus the $3.96 consensus estimate, even though revenue slightly topped expectations. The company also guided Q2 2026 EPS at 3.920-4.040 and analysts expect 16.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• The REIT declared a quarterly dividend of $2.59 per share, payable July 15, for an annualized yield of about 3.8%. Analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with an average price target of $284.50.

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS - Free Report) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 255,533 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 6,422 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.40% of Essex Property Trust worth $66,868,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 worth $488,601,000 after purchasing an additional 22,835 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 worth $439,520,000 after purchasing an additional 301,349 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 950,748 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $248,792,000 after purchasing an additional 29,466 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 0.6% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 929,187 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $248,703,000 after purchasing an additional 5,483 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.51% of the company's stock.

Essex Property Trust Stock Up 0.1%

Essex Property Trust stock opened at $272.90 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 11.78 and a beta of 0.72. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $238.46 and a fifty-two week high of $294.09. The stock's fifty day moving average is $258.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $256.74.

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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.96 by ($2.31). The firm had revenue of $484.76 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $479.89 million. Essex Property Trust had a net margin of 30.03% and a return on equity of 10.00%. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.97 EPS. Essex Property Trust has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 3.920-4.040 EPS. Analysts predict that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 16.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essex Property Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $2.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $10.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. Essex Property Trust's dividend payout ratio is 116.40%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ESS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Essex Property Trust from $282.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Raymond James Financial restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Essex Property Trust from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. UBS Group upped their price target on Essex Property Trust from $274.00 to $278.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Essex Property Trust from $268.00 to $262.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $284.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Essex Property Trust news, Director Mary Kasaris sold 600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.45, for a total value of $167,670.00. Following the sale, the director owned 2,394 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $669,003.30. This represents a 20.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.47% of the company's stock.

About Essex Property Trust

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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