2,320 Shares in Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS Acquired by Groupe la Francaise

Posted by Stanley Muller on Aug 2nd, 2026

Groupe la Francaise bought a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS – Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 2,320 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $561,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESS. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,873,698 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $488,601,000 after acquiring an additional 22,835 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 21.9% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,679,607 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $439,520,000 after purchasing an additional 301,349 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 9.5% in the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 1,157,617 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $309,848,000 after purchasing an additional 100,730 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 6.1% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 995,810 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $240,989,000 after purchasing an additional 57,173 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 31.3% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 958,090 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $250,714,000 after purchasing an additional 228,165 shares during the period. 96.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Essex Property Trust Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE ESS opened at $284.68 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $18.29 billion, a PE ratio of 44.27, a P/E/G ratio of 12.23 and a beta of 0.70. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a 12-month low of $238.46 and a 12-month high of $303.35. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $286.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $266.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Essex Property Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a dividend of $2.59 per share. This represents a $10.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. Essex Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio is 161.12%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Mary Kasaris sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.45, for a total value of $167,670.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 2,394 shares in the company, valued at $669,003.30. This trade represents a 20.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 3.47% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Essex Property Trust News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Essex Property Trust this week:

Positive Sentiment: Essex raised the midpoint of its full-year 2026 core funds from operations (FFO) outlook by $0.20 and forecast third-quarter core FFO of $3.99. The higher outlook reflects resilient rental demand and better-than-expected property performance. Essex raises full-year core FFO midpoint
Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter FFO exceeded analysts’ expectations as same-property net operating income and revenue increased. Northern California was the standout market, helping support the company’s raised 2026 view. ESS Q2 FFO beats estimates
Positive Sentiment: Citizens JMP upgraded ESS from “market perform” to “outperform” and assigned a $330 price target, while RBC raised its target from $306 to $312 and maintained an “outperform” rating. The upgrades indicate improving analyst confidence after the earnings report. Essex upgraded at Citizens RBC raises Essex price target
Neutral Sentiment: Management highlighted a regional divide: Northern California rent growth remains strong, but conditions are less uniform across Essex’s other markets. This creates some uncertainty around the pace and breadth of future growth. Essex Property Trust ups guidance amid regional divide

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ESS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $330.00 target price on Essex Property Trust in a report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $330.00 price target on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $303.00 price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Essex Property Trust from $293.00 to $302.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Friday, June 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $304.69.

Get Our Latest Report on Essex Property Trust

Essex Property Trust 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.