Sterling Capital Management LLC Sells 2,085 Shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS

Posted by Brian Himes on Jun 29th, 2026

Sterling Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS – Free Report) by 17.7% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 9,727 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 2,085 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Essex Property Trust were worth $2,354,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC increased its stake in Essex Property Trust by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 814 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $213,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Essex Property Trust by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 913 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $239,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Norinchukin Bank The raised its stake in Essex Property Trust by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 6,957 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,862,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust by 11.3% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 445 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $116,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,537 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $664,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. 96.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on ESS. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $296.00 price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research report on Monday, June 8th. UBS Group set a $290.00 target price on Essex Property Trust in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Essex Property Trust from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Essex Property Trust from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $292.08.

View Our Latest Analysis on Essex Property Trust

Insider Activity at Essex Property Trust

In related news, Director Mary Kasaris sold 600 shares of the company’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 transaction, the director directly owned 2,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $669,003.30. This represents a 20.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 3.47% of the company’s stock.

Essex Property Trust Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of ESS opened at $295.38 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $272.25 and its 200 day moving average is $260.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.98 billion, a PE ratio of 33.19, a P/E/G ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 0.72. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $238.46 and a fifty-two week high of $295.85.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.96 by ($2.31). Essex Property Trust had a net margin of 30.03% and a return on equity of 10.00%. The company had revenue of $484.76 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $479.89 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.97 EPS. Essex Property Trust has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 3.920-4.040 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 16.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essex Property Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $2.59 dividend. This represents a $10.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Essex Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 116.40%.

Essex Property Trust Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.