Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) Price Target Cut to $271.00 by Analysts at Barclays

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) had its price target cut by Barclays from $292.00 to $271.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock. Barclays‘s target price points to a potential upside of 7.50% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Essex Property Trust from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Essex Property Trust from $280.00 to $268.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Essex Property Trust from $267.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $282.00.

Essex Property Trust Stock Performance

Shares of ESS traded down $6.15 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $252.09. The stock had a trading volume of 12,696 shares, compared to its average volume of 561,313. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. Essex Property Trust has a 12 month low of $243.25 and a 12 month high of $310.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.25 billion, a PE ratio of 24.22, a PEG ratio of 8.05 and a beta of 0.73. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $255.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $259.07.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) last posted 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). The firm had revenue of $479.63 million during 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 period in the prior year, the company posted $3.92 EPS. 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 anticipate that Essex Property Trust will post 15.96 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essex Property Trust

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. 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 purchased a new stake in shares of Essex Property Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in Essex Property Trust by 57.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 115 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Tobam lifted its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 167.3% in the 2nd quarter. Tobam now owns 131 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake 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 during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.