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

Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the eighteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $282.00.

ESS has been the subject of several research reports. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust from $284.00 to $278.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Essex Property Trust from $279.00 to $281.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut Essex Property Trust from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $278.00 price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Thursday, February 5th.

Essex Property Trust Trading Down 2.3%

Essex Property Trust stock opened at $240.63 on Friday. Essex Property Trust has a 1 year low of $239.99 and a 1 year high of $310.10. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $253.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $257.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market cap of $15.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.12, a PEG ratio of 7.54 and a beta of 0.73.

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). The company had revenue of $479.63 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $474.66 million. Essex Property Trust had a return on equity of 11.61% and a net margin of 35.48%.During the same quarter 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. On average, equities analysts predict that Essex Property Trust will post 15.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essex Property Trust Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $2.59 per share. This represents a $10.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This is a boost from Essex Property Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.57. Essex Property Trust’s payout ratio is currently 98.75%.

Institutional Trading of Essex Property Trust

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nemes Rush Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Essex Property Trust during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in Essex Property Trust in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake 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 during the period. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in Essex Property Trust by 120.0% in the fourth 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. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in shares of Essex Property Trust during the second quarter worth $48,000. 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.