Pensionfund PDN Takes Position in Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS

Pensionfund PDN acquired a new position in Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 9,695 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $2,537,000. Essex Property Trust makes up about 1.7% of Pensionfund PDN’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Essex Property Trust by 57.5% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 115 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 120.0% during the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 176 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust during the 2nd quarter worth about $48,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. bought a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at about $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.51% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on ESS. BMO Capital Markets lowered Essex Property Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $305.00 to $280.00 in a report on Friday, January 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research report on Friday, February 27th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Essex Property Trust from $267.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $278.00 target price on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $282.00.

Essex Property Trust Price Performance

NYSE:ESS opened at $243.02 on Tuesday. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average price is $253.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $257.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.34, a P/E/G ratio of 7.54 and a beta of 0.73. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a 12-month low of $239.99 and a 12-month high of $310.10.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) last issued its earnings results 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). The business 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 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. On average, analysts anticipate that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 15.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Essex Property Trust Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $2.59 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 99.52%.

Essex Property Trust 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.