Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Sells 8,788 Shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS

Key Points

• Zurcher Kantonalbank cut its stake in Essex Property Trust by 12.8%, selling 8,788 shares and ending the quarter with 59,898 shares worth about $15.67 million (≈0.09% ownership).
• Essex raised its quarterly dividend to $2.59 per share (annualized $10.36), a yield of roughly 4.1% and a dividend payout ratio near 99.5%.
• Analysts hold a consensus "Hold" rating with a $282 target after recent downgrades; the stock trades around $252 with a $16.25B market cap, and Q4 EPS was $3.98 (missed by $0.02) while FY2026 EPS guidance is 15.69–16.19.

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank cut its stake in Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS - Free Report) by 12.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 59,898 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 8,788 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned about 0.09% of Essex Property Trust worth $15,674,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. bought a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust in the 3rd quarter worth about $48,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust in the 2nd quarter worth about $54,000. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust in the 3rd quarter worth about $51,000. 96.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $292.00 to $271.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 6th. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Essex Property Trust from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $305.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $279.00 to $281.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $267.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $282.00.

Essex Property Trust Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE:ESS opened at $252.07 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $16.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.21, a P/E/G ratio of 7.94 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $238.46 and a fifty-two week high of $294.09. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $250.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $254.94.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $3.98 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.00 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $479.63 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $474.66 million. Essex Property Trust had a net margin of 35.48% and a return on equity of 11.61%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.92 earnings per share. 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. Analysts predict that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 16.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essex Property Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $2.59 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $10.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. This is an increase from Essex Property Trust's previous quarterly dividend of $2.57. Essex Property Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 99.52%.

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.

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