Brokerages Set Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) PT at $283.87

Shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the seventeen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $283.8667.

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $282.00 price target (down from $304.00) on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Monday, December 15th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Essex Property Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $305.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Scotiabank reduced their price target on Essex Property Trust from $294.00 to $284.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $278.00 price target on Essex Property Trust in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Friday.

Essex Property Trust Stock Down 2.8%

ESS stock opened at $255.30 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.46 billion, a PE ratio of 24.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.02 and a beta of 0.73. Essex Property Trust has a 52 week low of $243.25 and a 52 week high of $316.29. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $255.60 and a 200 day moving average of $259.13.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 11.61% and a net margin of 35.48%.The company had revenue of $479.63 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $474.66 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm 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. Sell-side analysts forecast that Essex Property Trust will post 15.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Essex Property Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $2.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Essex Property Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.57. This represents a $10.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. Essex Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently 98.75%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essex Property Trust

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its stake in Essex Property Trust by 11.5% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 23,136 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $6,193,000 after acquiring an additional 2,395 shares during the last quarter. Barings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Essex Property Trust during the 2nd quarter worth $829,000. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust during the third quarter worth $1,900,000. Spire Wealth Management increased its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 12,050.0% in the second quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 243 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stableford Capital II LLC acquired a new stake in Essex Property Trust in the third quarter valued at $1,636,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.51% of the company’s stock.

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.