Vestcor Inc Boosts Stock Position in Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS

Vestcor Inc raised its holdings in Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) by 78.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 28,730 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,648 shares during the quarter. Vestcor Inc’s holdings in Essex Property Trust were worth $7,690,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 57.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 115 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Tobam grew its position in Essex Property Trust by 167.3% during the second quarter. Tobam now owns 131 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new position in Essex Property Trust during the second quarter valued at about $48,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. purchased a new stake in Essex Property Trust during the third quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in Essex Property Trust during the second quarter worth about $54,000. 96.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on ESS shares. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Essex Property Trust from $292.00 to $271.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $284.00 to $278.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $283.00 to $273.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $282.00 price objective (down from $304.00) on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on Essex Property Trust from $275.00 to $284.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $282.00.

Essex Property Trust Price Performance

NYSE ESS opened at $255.36 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The company has a market cap of $16.47 billion, a PE ratio of 24.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.02 and a beta of 0.73. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.25 and a 52 week high of $310.10. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $254.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $258.97.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) last posted its 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). Essex Property Trust had a return on equity of 11.61% and a net margin of 35.48%.The business had revenue of $479.63 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $474.66 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.92 EPS. 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. Research analysts predict that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 15.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Essex Property Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a $2.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $10.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. This is a positive change from Essex Property Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.57. Essex Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.75%.

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.