SG Americas Securities LLC Raises Holdings in Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS

Key Points

• SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in Essex Property Trust by 45.5% in the first quarter, buying an additional 28,527 shares and bringing its total to 91,254 shares worth about $22.1 million.
• Essex Property Trust reported mixed quarterly results, with revenue slightly ahead of expectations but earnings per share far below estimates. The company also guided Q2 2026 EPS at 3.920-4.040.
• The REIT declared a quarterly dividend of $2.59 per share, implying a 3.7% annualized yield, while analysts currently have a consensus Hold rating with an average price target of $288.03.

SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS - Free Report) by 45.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 91,254 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 28,527 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC owned about 0.14% of Essex Property Trust worth $22,083,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ESS. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC increased its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 814 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $213,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Segment Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 913 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $239,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Norinchukin Bank The lifted its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 6,957 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,862,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in Essex Property Trust by 11.3% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 445 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in Essex Property Trust by 0.4% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 12,919 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $3,458,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.51% of the company's stock.

Essex Property Trust Trading Up 0.9%

Essex Property Trust stock opened at $281.83 on Thursday. 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 stock has a market cap of $18.11 billion, a PE ratio of 31.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.06 and a beta of 0.72. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $270.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $259.50. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a one year low of $238.46 and a one year high of $294.09.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.96 by ($2.31). Essex Property Trust had a return on equity of 10.00% and a net margin of 30.03%.The business had revenue of $484.76 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $479.89 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.97 EPS. Essex Property Trust has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 3.920-4.040 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 16.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essex Property Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $2.59 per share. This represents a $10.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Essex Property Trust's payout ratio is currently 116.40%.

Insider Transactions at Essex Property Trust

In other Essex Property Trust news, Director Mary Kasaris sold 600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.45, for a total transaction of $167,670.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $669,003.30. This represents a 20.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.47% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ESS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Essex Property Trust from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $296.00 price target on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Monday, June 8th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Essex Property Trust from $279.00 to $281.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Essex Property Trust from $282.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $288.03.

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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