Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) Sets New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $303.35 and last traded at $298.19, with a volume of 757973 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $298.00.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on ESS shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Essex Property Trust from $293.00 to $302.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $262.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust from $273.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. UBS Group set a $290.00 price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Essex Property Trust from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $275.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Essex Property Trust currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $293.03.

Essex Property Trust Stock Down 0.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $279.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $262.40. The company has a market cap of $18.71 billion, a PE ratio of 32.71, a PEG ratio of 12.57 and a beta of 0.70.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.96 by ($2.31). The business 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 business earned $3.97 EPS. Essex Property Trust has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 3.920-4.040 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 16.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Essex Property Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $2.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $10.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Essex Property Trust’s payout ratio is currently 116.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Essex Property Trust

In other news, Director Mary Kasaris sold 600 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the director owned 2,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $669,003.30. The trade was a 20.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 3.47% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essex Property Trust

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ESS. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust by 4.3% in the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,077 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $606,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 523.1% during the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 162 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank boosted its position in Essex Property Trust by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 18,292 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $5,334,000 after buying an additional 742 shares during the period. 55 North Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Essex Property Trust during the 2nd quarter valued at $240,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Essex Property Trust by 16.5% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,606 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $468,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the period. 96.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.