VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Buys New Holdings in Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 107,012 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $31,204,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nemes Rush Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Essex Property Trust during the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. Western Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Essex Property Trust during the 1st quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Essex Property Trust by 523.1% in the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 162 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.51% of the company’s stock.

Essex Property Trust Stock Performance

Essex Property Trust stock opened at $278.53 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $289.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $272.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.32, a P/E/G ratio of 10.19 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a 12-month low of $238.46 and a 12-month high of $303.35.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $4.08 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $2.62. The firm had revenue of $489.05 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $485.12 million. Essex Property Trust had a net margin of 21.48% and a return on equity of 7.33%. 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. On average, research analysts anticipate that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 16.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essex Property Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $2.59 per share. This represents a $10.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. Essex Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio is 161.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $303.00 price target on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Essex Property Trust from $306.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on Essex Property Trust from $291.00 to $316.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus set a $292.75 target price on Essex Property Trust in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, 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 report on Friday, June 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $304.79.

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.