Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) Issues Q3 2026 Earnings Guidance

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) updated its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 3.930-4.050 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 3.980. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Essex Property Trust also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 16.030-16.250 EPS.

Essex Property Trust Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:ESS traded up $1.93 on Wednesday, hitting $296.45. 466,009 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 510,455. Essex Property Trust has a 1-year low of $238.46 and a 1-year high of $303.35. The company has a market capitalization of $19.05 billion, a PE ratio of 33.31, a P/E/G ratio of 12.53 and a beta of 0.70. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average is $286.21 and its 200 day moving average is $265.58.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $4.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $2.62. Essex Property Trust had a return on equity of 10.00% and a net margin of 30.03%.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. Sell-side analysts predict that Essex Property Trust will post 16.11 EPS for the current year.

Essex Property Trust Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised Essex Property Trust to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised Essex Property Trust from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Essex Property Trust from $278.00 to $281.50 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Essex Property Trust from $272.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Essex Property Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $299.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at Essex Property Trust

In other news, Director Mary Kasaris sold 600 shares of the business’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 $669,003.30. The trade was a 20.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 3.47% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Essex Property Trust

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of ESS. FIL Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 43.8% during the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 834 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $218,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in Essex Property Trust during the fourth quarter worth $176,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 119.6% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 481 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC grew its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 5.2% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Flow Traders U.S. LLC purchased a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust in the third quarter valued at $218,000. 96.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Essex Property Trust Company Profile

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.