Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS Shares Sold by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV reduced its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) by 39.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,019 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 23,633 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Essex Property Trust were worth $8,716,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Nemes Rush Group LLC acquired a new stake in Essex Property Trust in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 67.8% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 193 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust during the third quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in shares of Essex Property Trust in the second quarter worth about $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.51% of the company’s stock.

Essex Property Trust Price Performance

Shares of ESS stock opened at $293.05 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $284.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $264.49. The firm has a market cap of $18.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.93, a P/E/G ratio of 12.68 and a beta of 0.70. Essex Property Trust, Inc. 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.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.96 by ($2.31). Essex Property Trust had a net margin of 30.03% and a return on equity of 10.00%. The company had revenue of $484.76 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $479.89 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.97 EPS. Essex Property Trust has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 3.920-4.040 EPS. As a group, research 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 disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $10.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. Essex Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently 116.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ESS shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Essex Property Trust from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Essex Property Trust from $285.00 to $308.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Essex Property Trust in a report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective 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, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust from $282.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $299.08.

Insider Transactions at Essex Property Trust

In other Essex Property Trust news, Director Mary Kasaris sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 2,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $669,003.30. This trade represents a 20.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 3.47% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.