Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Takes Position in Essex Property Trust, Inc. $ESS

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 3,648 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $976,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 57.5% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 115 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Tobam boosted its position in Essex Property Trust by 167.3% during the second quarter. Tobam now owns 131 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust in the second quarter worth about $48,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Essex Property Trust in the third quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in shares of Essex Property Trust in the second quarter valued at approximately $54,000. 96.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Essex Property Trust Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:ESS opened at $251.17 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.20 billion, a PE ratio of 24.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.85 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.25 and a 52-week high of $310.10. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $254.33 and a 200 day moving average of $258.76.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $3.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.00 by ($0.02). Essex Property Trust had a return on equity of 11.61% and a net margin of 35.48%.The firm had revenue of $479.63 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $474.66 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.92 EPS. Essex Property Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 15.690-16.190 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 3.890-4.010 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 15.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essex Property Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a $2.59 dividend. This represents a $10.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Essex Property Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.57. Essex Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently 98.75%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on ESS shares. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $279.00 to $281.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Essex Property Trust from $283.00 to $273.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $278.00 target price on Essex Property Trust in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $290.00 price target on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $282.00.

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.