Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) Releases Q3 2026 Earnings Guidance

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) issued an update on its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 3.930-4.050 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 3.980. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Essex Property Trust also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 16.030-16.250 EPS.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on ESS. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Essex Property Trust from $290.00 to $291.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Essex Property Trust from $285.00 to $308.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Essex Property Trust from $282.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Essex Property Trust to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, UBS Group set a $290.00 price target on Essex Property Trust in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Essex Property Trust presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $300.04.

Essex Property Trust Stock Down 4.0%

Shares of ESS stock traded down $11.73 on Thursday, hitting $285.07. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 294,488 shares, compared to its average volume of 509,152. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.03, a P/E/G ratio of 12.70 and a beta of 0.70. Essex Property Trust has a fifty-two week low of $238.46 and a fifty-two week high of $303.35. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $286.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $265.86. 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 (NYSE:ESS) last announced 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). The company had revenue of $484.76 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $479.89 million. Essex Property Trust had a net margin of 30.03% and a return on equity of 10.00%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.97 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Essex Property Trust will post 16.11 EPS for the current year.

Essex Property Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a $2.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $10.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. Essex Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio is 116.40%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mary Kasaris sold 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director directly owned 2,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $669,003.30. This represents a 20.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 3.47% of the company’s stock.

More Essex Property Trust News

Here are the key news stories impacting Essex Property Trust this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Essex reported second-quarter FFO of $4.08 per share, above the $4.03 consensus estimate and up from $4.03 a year earlier. Revenue of approximately $489.1 million also exceeded expectations of about $485.1 million. Essex Property Trust Tops Q2 FFO and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Same-property NOI and revenue increased, with Northern California properties outperforming. The operating improvement helped Essex raise its 2026 core FFO outlook, signaling better expected property performance. ESS Q2 FFO Beats Estimates on Higher Property NOI
• Positive Sentiment: Full-year 2026 EPS guidance of $16.03-$16.25 brackets the $16.11 analyst consensus and has a midpoint modestly above expectations, reducing the risk of a near-term earnings shortfall.
• Neutral Sentiment: Third-quarter 2026 EPS guidance of $3.93-$4.05 is broadly in line with the $3.98 consensus estimate, offering limited additional upside expectations for the next quarter. Compared to Estimates, Essex Property Trust Q2 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: The company will host a conference call on August 13, where management may provide more detail on apartment demand, rent growth, operating costs, and the sustainability of the raised outlook. ESS to Host Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results Conference Call
• Negative Sentiment: Although results beat estimates, the shares have decreased, indicating investors may have viewed the guidance raise as modest relative to the stock’s elevated valuation or expected stronger upside. The stock’s recent decline suggests the market is emphasizing limited third-quarter guidance upside rather than the earnings beat.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essex Property Trust

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 973.0% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 743,954 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $199,127,000 after acquiring an additional 674,617 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its stake in Essex Property Trust by 31.3% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 958,090 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $250,714,000 after purchasing an additional 228,165 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Essex Property Trust by 3,497.4% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 126,196 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $33,023,000 after purchasing an additional 122,688 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 1,374.8% during the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 128,880 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $33,725,000 after purchasing an additional 120,141 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 9.5% during the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 1,157,617 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $309,848,000 after purchasing an additional 100,730 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.