Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $2.62 EPS

Posted by Geri Gentry on Jul 29th, 2026

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS – Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The real estate investment trust reported $4.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $2.62, Zacks reports. Essex Property Trust had a return on equity of 10.00% and a net margin of 30.03%.The business had revenue of $489.05 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $485.12 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.03 earnings per share. Essex Property Trust updated its Q3 2026 guidance to 3.930-4.050 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance to 16.030-16.250 EPS.

Essex Property Trust Price Performance

Shares of ESS stock traded up $1.93 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $296.45. 500,288 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 510,717. Essex Property Trust has a twelve month low of $238.46 and a twelve month high of $303.35. The firm has a market cap of $19.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.53 and a beta of 0.70. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $286.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $265.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98.

Essex Property Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $2.59 per share. This represents a $10.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. Essex Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 116.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Essex Property Trust

In other news, Director Mary Kasaris sold 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 owned 2,394 shares in the company, valued at $669,003.30. This represents a 20.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 3.47% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Essex Property Trust

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 9.5% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 1,157,617 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $309,848,000 after purchasing an additional 100,730 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 31.3% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 958,090 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $250,714,000 after buying an additional 228,165 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Essex Property Trust by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 938,637 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $245,627,000 after buying an additional 9,450 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust by 3.9% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 882,010 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $233,668,000 after buying an additional 32,981 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Resolution Capital Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust by 3.2% in the second quarter. Resolution Capital Ltd now owns 848,629 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $240,501,000 after buying an additional 26,661 shares in the last quarter. 96.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on ESS. Barclays lifted their target price on Essex Property Trust from $277.00 to $296.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $296.00 price target on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on Essex Property Trust from $310.00 to $352.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust from $280.00 to $297.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Monday, July 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $299.08.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Essex Property Trust

Essex Property Trust Company Profile

(Get 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.