Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) Receives $304.99 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-three ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have given a hold recommendation, eleven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $304.7875.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Essex Property Trust from $280.00 to $297.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Essex Property Trust from $273.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Essex Property Trust from $310.00 to $352.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Raymond James Financial raised Essex Property Trust from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Citizens Jmp upgraded Essex Property Trust from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st.

Essex Property Trust Stock Performance

ESS opened at $289.26 on Monday. Essex Property Trust has a twelve month low of $238.46 and a twelve month high of $303.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.59 billion, a PE ratio of 44.99, a PEG ratio of 10.52 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $288.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $269.65.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $4.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $2.62. Essex Property Trust had a net margin of 21.48% and a return on equity of 7.33%. The company had revenue of $489.05 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $485.12 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.03 EPS. Essex Property Trust has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.930-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 16.030-16.250 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Essex Property Trust will post 16.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mary Kasaris sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.45, for a total transaction of $167,670.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 2,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $669,003.30. This trade represents a 20.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 3.47% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essex Property Trust

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 6,422 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Essex Property Trust in the fourth quarter valued at $230,690,000. Centersquare Investment Management LLC raised its position in Essex Property Trust by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 548,017 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $143,405,000 after purchasing an additional 31,261 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 29.3% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 160,122 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $41,901,000 after purchasing an additional 36,293 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 21.9% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,679,607 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $439,520,000 after purchasing an additional 301,349 shares during the last quarter. 96.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.