Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 15.690-16.190 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 10.080. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Essex Property Trust also updated its Q1 2026 guidance to 3.890-4.010 EPS.

Essex Property Trust Stock Performance

Shares of ESS stock opened at $251.04 on Friday. Essex Property Trust has a 52 week low of $243.25 and a 52 week high of $316.29. The company has a market capitalization of $16.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.12, a PEG ratio of 6.01 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $256.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $260.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 1.18.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $3.98 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.00 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $479.63 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $474.66 million. Essex Property Trust had a net margin of 35.48% and a return on equity of 11.58%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.92 earnings per share. Essex Property Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 15.690-16.190 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 3.890-4.010 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Essex Property Trust will post 15.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Essex Property Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd were issued a dividend of $2.57 per share. This represents a $10.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 2nd. Essex Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Barclays reissued a “positive” rating and issued a $292.00 target price on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $279.00 to $271.00 and set a “cautious” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust from $294.00 to $284.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Essex Property Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $305.00 to $280.00 in a report on Friday, January 9th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Essex Property Trust presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $283.87.

Institutional Trading of Essex Property Trust

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ESS. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in Essex Property Trust during the third quarter valued at approximately $51,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in shares of Essex Property Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at $54,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust by 70.1% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 279 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA raised its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust by 60.5% during the 3rd quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA now owns 345 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $92,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 23.0% during the 3rd quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 465 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $124,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.