Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS Shares Sold by Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio decreased its position in shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) by 13.9% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 93,595 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 15,121 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in Essex Property Trust were worth $22,650,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ESS. Nemes Rush Group LLC purchased a new stake in Essex Property Trust in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new position in Essex Property Trust in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust during the 1st quarter worth $38,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 67.8% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 193 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Essex Property Trust during the third quarter worth $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.51% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on ESS shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Essex Property Trust from $280.00 to $297.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Barclays raised their price target on Essex Property Trust from $277.00 to $296.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Essex Property Trust from $310.00 to $352.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust from $290.00 to $291.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $299.08.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Mary Kasaris sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $669,003.30. This trade represents a 20.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.47% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Essex Property Trust Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE ESS opened at $293.32 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.85 billion, a PE ratio of 32.96, a P/E/G ratio of 12.65 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $285.41 and a 200-day moving average of $264.95. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a 52-week low of $238.46 and a 52-week high of $303.35.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 period last year, the business posted $3.97 earnings per share. Essex Property Trust has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 3.920-4.040 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 16.11 EPS for the current year.

Essex Property Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. Essex Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 116.40%.

Essex Property Trust Company 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.