Weiss Asset Management LP Makes New Investment in Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS

Weiss Asset Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 9,114 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $2,206,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ESS. Nemes Rush Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Essex Property Trust in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new stake in Essex Property Trust in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Essex Property Trust during the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 67.8% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 193 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in Essex Property Trust during the 3rd quarter valued at about $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.51% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

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 transaction of $167,670.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $669,003.30. This represents a 20.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 3.47% of the company’s stock.

Essex Property Trust Stock Down 0.0%

NYSE:ESS opened at $293.32 on Monday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $285.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $265.03. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $238.46 and a fifty-two week high of $303.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.96, a P/E/G ratio of 12.65 and a beta of 0.70.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.96 by ($2.31). Essex Property Trust had a return on equity of 10.00% and a net margin of 30.03%.The firm had revenue of $484.76 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $479.89 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.97 EPS. Essex Property Trust has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 3.920-4.040 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 16.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essex Property Trust Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Essex Property Trust to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Friday, June 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust from $272.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust from $280.00 to $297.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised shares of Essex Property Trust from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, June 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Essex Property Trust has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $299.08.

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.