Mizuho Issues Positive Forecast for Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) Stock Price

Key Points

• Mizuho raised its price target on Essex Property Trust to $308 from $285 and kept an “outperform” rating, implying about 8.31% upside from the prior close.
• The stock has mixed analyst sentiment overall: the consensus rating is Hold, with a consensus target price of $288.44, even as several firms recently nudged targets higher.
• Essex Property Trust reported Q1 earnings well below estimates at $1.65 EPS versus $3.96 expected, though revenue came in slightly above forecasts and the company guided Q2 2026 EPS at 3.920-4.040.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS - Get Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by Mizuho from $285.00 to $308.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "outperform" rating on the real estate investment trust's stock. Mizuho's target price points to a potential upside of 8.31% from the company's previous close.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $274.00 to $278.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. 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 company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $278.00 to $281.50 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Essex Property Trust from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $288.44.

Essex Property Trust Stock Up 0.8%

Essex Property Trust stock opened at $284.36 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $18.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.18 and a beta of 0.72. Essex Property Trust has a 1-year low of $238.46 and a 1-year high of $294.09. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $263.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $258.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 quarter in the prior year, the business 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 will post 16.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Essex Property Trust news, Director Mary Kasaris sold 600 shares of Essex Property Trust stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.45, for a total value of $167,670.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,394 shares in the company, valued at $669,003.30. The trade was a 20.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 3.47% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Essex Property Trust

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ESS. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Essex Property Trust in the 4th quarter worth about $230,690,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 973.0% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 743,954 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $199,127,000 after buying an additional 674,617 shares in the last quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 473.5% in the 3rd quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 516,756 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $138,315,000 after buying an additional 426,650 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 21.9% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,679,607 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $439,520,000 after buying an additional 301,349 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 31.3% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 958,090 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $250,714,000 after buying an additional 228,165 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.51% 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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