Groupe la Francaise Acquires Shares of 2,320 Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS

Groupe la Francaise bought a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 2,320 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $561,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ESS. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 255,533 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $66,868,000 after purchasing an additional 6,422 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Essex Property Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $230,690,000. Centersquare Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Essex Property Trust by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 548,017 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $143,405,000 after purchasing an additional 31,261 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in Essex Property Trust by 29.3% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 160,122 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $41,901,000 after buying an additional 36,293 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Essex Property Trust by 21.9% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,679,607 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $439,520,000 after buying an additional 301,349 shares in the last quarter. 96.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on ESS. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Essex Property Trust from $290.00 to $307.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $272.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust from $293.00 to $302.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust from $306.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Monday, July 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $304.69.

Essex Property Trust Stock Performance

Shares of Essex Property Trust stock opened at $284.68 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $286.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $266.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.27, a P/E/G ratio of 12.23 and a beta of 0.70. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $238.46 and a fifty-two week high of $303.35. 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 Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $2.59 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $10.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Essex Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 161.12%.

More Essex Property Trust News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Essex raised the midpoint of its full-year 2026 core funds from operations (FFO) outlook by $0.20 and forecast third-quarter core FFO of $3.99. The higher outlook reflects resilient rental demand and better-than-expected property performance. Essex raises full-year core FFO midpoint
• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter FFO exceeded analysts’ expectations as same-property net operating income and revenue increased. Northern California was the standout market, helping support the company’s raised 2026 view. ESS Q2 FFO beats estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Citizens JMP upgraded ESS from “market perform” to “outperform” and assigned a $330 price target, while RBC raised its target from $306 to $312 and maintained an “outperform” rating. The upgrades indicate improving analyst confidence after the earnings report. Essex upgraded at Citizens RBC raises Essex price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Management highlighted a regional divide: Northern California rent growth remains strong, but conditions are less uniform across Essex’s other markets. This creates some uncertainty around the pace and breadth of future growth. Essex Property Trust ups guidance amid regional divide

Insider Buying and Selling at Essex Property Trust

In related news, Director Mary Kasaris sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.45, for a total transaction of $167,670.00. Following the sale, the director owned 2,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $669,003.30. This trade represents a 20.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.47% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.