Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) Upgraded by Citizens Jmp to Outperform Rating

Citizens Jmp upgraded shares of Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Citizens Jmp currently has $330.00 price objective on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Essex Property Trust from $282.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Essex Property Trust to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Essex Property Trust from $273.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $280.00 to $297.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $310.00 to $352.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $304.69.

Essex Property Trust Stock Performance

Shares of ESS opened at $284.68 on Friday. Essex Property Trust has a 1 year low of $238.46 and a 1 year high of $303.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $286.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $266.20. The firm has a market cap of $18.29 billion, a PE ratio of 44.27, a PEG ratio of 12.13 and a beta of 0.70.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) last posted its quarterly 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). The firm had revenue of $484.76 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $479.89 million. Essex Property Trust had a return on equity of 7.33% and a net margin of 21.48%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.97 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Essex Property Trust will post 16.14 EPS for the current year.

Essex Property Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors 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 dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. Essex Property Trust’s payout ratio is presently 161.12%.

Insider Transactions at Essex Property Trust

In other Essex Property Trust 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 transaction, the director 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 3.47% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB increased its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 54.4% during the second quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 2,383 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $695,000 after buying an additional 840 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 53.8% in the second quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 63,326 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $18,465,000 after acquiring an additional 22,157 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 4.3% in the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,077 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $606,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of 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. Finally, Czech National Bank grew its stake in Essex Property Trust by 4.2% during the second quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 18,292 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $5,334,000 after acquiring an additional 742 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.51% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Essex Property Trust

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

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.