Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) Receives $282.00 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the eighteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $282.00.

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Essex Property Trust from $292.00 to $271.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Essex Property Trust from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $290.00 price target on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $282.00 price target (down from $304.00) on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research report on Monday, December 15th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Nemes Rush Group LLC bought a new stake in Essex Property Trust during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in Essex Property Trust in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 57.5% in the third 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. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Essex Property Trust during the second quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 120.0% during the fourth quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 176 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. 96.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Essex Property Trust Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:ESS opened at $243.15 on Friday. Essex Property Trust has a 52-week low of $239.96 and a 52-week high of $310.10. The stock has a market cap of $15.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.62 and a beta of 0.73. The business’s 50 day moving average is $253.20 and its 200 day moving average is $257.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) last issued its earnings results 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). Essex Property Trust had a net margin of 35.48% and a return on equity of 11.61%. The firm had revenue of $479.63 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $474.66 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $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 predict that Essex Property Trust will post 15.96 EPS for the current year.

Essex Property Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a $2.59 dividend. This represents a $10.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. This is a positive change from Essex Property Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Essex Property Trust’s payout ratio is presently 98.75%.

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.