Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation, ten have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $299.0789.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on ESS shares. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Essex Property Trust from $290.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Essex Property Trust in a report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Raymond James Financial raised Essex Property Trust from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, UBS Group set a $290.00 price target on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Thursday, June 18th.

Key Headlines Impacting Essex Property Trust

Here are the key news stories impacting Essex Property Trust this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Essex reported second-quarter funds from operations (FFO) of $4.08 per share, above the $4.03 consensus estimate and up from $4.03 a year earlier. Revenue reached $489.05 million, exceeding expectations of $485.12 million. The results indicate steady operating performance and are supportive of the stock. Essex Property Trust Tops Q2 FFO and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s 2026 FFO/EPS guidance range of $16.03 to $16.25 has a midpoint slightly above the analyst consensus of $16.11, suggesting expectations for continued earnings stability. Essex Property Trust Earnings and Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Third-quarter 2026 guidance of $3.93 to $4.05 per share brackets the $3.98 consensus estimate, with the midpoint essentially matching expectations. This limits the likelihood of a major near-term earnings reset. Essex Property Trust Third-Quarter Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: The company scheduled a conference call for August 13 to discuss its second-quarter results, giving investors an opportunity to receive additional details on rent trends, occupancy and operating costs. ESS Second-Quarter 2026 Conference Call

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mary Kasaris sold 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.45, for a total value of $167,670.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $669,003.30. This represents a 20.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 3.47% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Nemes Rush Group LLC purchased a new position in Essex Property Trust in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust during the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Western Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Essex Property Trust during the first quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Essex Property Trust by 523.1% during the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 162 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.51% of the company’s stock.

Essex Property Trust Stock Up 0.7%

ESS opened at $296.45 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $286.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $265.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.70 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Essex Property Trust has a one year low of $238.46 and a one year high of $303.35.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.65 earnings per share (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 analysts’ expectations of $479.89 million. Essex Property Trust had a return on equity of 10.00% and a net margin of 30.03%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.97 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Essex Property Trust will post 16.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essex Property Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $2.59 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $10.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. Essex Property Trust’s payout ratio is presently 116.40%.

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.