MQS Management LLC Makes New $1.24 Million Investment in Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS

MQS Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 4,753 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $1,244,000. Essex Property Trust accounts for about 0.7% of MQS Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Essex Property Trust in the fourth quarter worth $299,000. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 33,973 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $8,890,000 after acquiring an additional 377 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 171.4% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 825 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $216,000 after acquiring an additional 521 shares in the last quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions acquired a new stake in shares of Essex Property Trust in the fourth quarter worth $581,000. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 3,013 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $788,000 after acquiring an additional 461 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.51% of the company’s stock.

Essex Property Trust Price Performance

Shares of ESS stock opened at $277.00 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $17.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.12, a P/E/G ratio of 11.84 and a beta of 0.71. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $238.46 and a 1-year high of $294.09. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $255.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $256.11.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.96 by ($2.31). Essex Property Trust had a net margin of 30.03% and a return on equity of 10.00%. The business had revenue of $484.76 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $479.89 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.97 earnings per share. Essex Property Trust has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 3.920-4.040 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 16.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essex Property Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $2.59 per share. This represents a $10.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Essex Property Trust’s payout ratio is presently 116.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ESS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust from $278.00 to $281.50 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $274.00 to $278.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Friday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $268.00 to $262.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Essex Property Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, April 11th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Essex Property Trust currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $283.74.

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.