Essex Property Trust (ESS)
Real Estate · multifamily REIT · NYSE
Essex Property Trust is a West Coast-focused multifamily real estate investment trust specializing in the acquisition and management of apartment communities.
What Essex Property Trust does
Essex Property Trust is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, develops, redevelops, and manages multifamily residential properties. The company focuses primarily on locations within the West Coast region of the United States. Its operations include apartment community ownership, property management, and strategic co-investments in residential assets.
Themes: residential real estate, multifamily housing, West Coast real estate market, REITs
Fundamentals
- Price$289.00 as of 2026-08-21 close
- Market cap$18.6B as of 2026-08-21
- 1-year return+10.0% 2025-08-21 close $262.76 → 2026-08-21 close $289.00
- P/E44.80 as of 2026-08-24
- Net margin+21.5% as of 2026-08-24
- Gross margin+70.6% as of 2026-08-24
- ROE+7.5% as of 2026-08-24
- Debt / equity1.26 as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue growth (YoY)+4.7% as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue CAGR (3y)+5.5% SEC XBRL
- Beta0.71 as of 2026-08-24
- Last reported earnings2026-07-29 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
Dividend: yield +4.3%; at least 5 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer.
How ESS compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiomiddle range 127 covered Real Estate peers, as of 2026-08-24
- net profit marginmiddle range 161 covered Real Estate peers, as of 2026-08-24
- operating marginmiddle range 161 covered Real Estate peers, as of 2026-08-24
- gross marginmiddle range 156 covered Real Estate peers, as of 2026-08-24
- return on equitymiddle range 162 covered Real Estate peers, as of 2026-08-24
- 3-year revenue CAGRmiddle range 155 covered Real Estate peers
- indicated dividend yieldmiddle range 138 covered Real Estate peers, as of 2026-08-24
Position among covered Real Estate companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Top 10 scores & list membership
ESS is not currently in any published Top 10 list. Its scores are below.
Long-term score
50.2 #484 of 987 scored · #45 of 84 in Real Estate
Capital return 71st (consecutive years of dividend increases 5 years) and financial health 59th (free cash flow margin 30.1%, debt to equity 1.3); weakest is valuation (31st, price to earnings 45, price to book 3.5).
Short-term score
46.3 #1045 of 1,704 scored · #38 of 94 in Real Estate
Catalysts 56th: analysts have raised their average price target by 0.3% since the prior reading; setup 54th: no Elliott-wave labelling currently fits its swings; weakest is volume and participation 19th: trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average.
Scores as of 21 Aug 2026. Each bar is a percentile: how this company ranked against every company the score ranked, 0–100. A list is a published formula and its output, not a recommendation. Method version 2.
Dividend coverage (FY2025)
Covered by reported results. In FY2025, ESS's dividend was covered by reported results (operating-cash-flow payout 61%). This describes past coverage, not a forecast.
- Earnings payoutnot assessable earnings not reported
- Operating-cash-flow payout61% dividends / operating cash flow — capital spending was not reported, so this does not subtract it
Coverage derived from reported SEC EDGAR XBRL figures for FY2025 (dividends paid vs. net income and free cash flow, same fiscal year). This describes PAST coverage for one fiscal year — it does not predict whether a dividend will be maintained, raised, or cut, and a one-year payout ratio can be distorted by non-recurring items. Informational only — not financial advice.
How Essex Property Trust looks technically
Essex Property Trust (ESS) is trading 8.9% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend. Its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 56 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal. A trend is forming but not yet strong — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 20 (a reading of 25+ marks a strong trend). Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 53, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bullish about 2 trading days ago (its momentum flipped positive). It made a new 20-day low about 8 trading days ago. It is 4.7% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year).
Trend
8
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 8.9% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend | +8.9% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $288.55 | $288.55 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $265.39 | $265.39 |
| Swing structure | each recent peak has been higher than the one before it and each dip has been shallower — the pattern chart-watchers call an uptrend, which describes where price has already been and not where it goes next | higher highs and higher lows |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing low 21 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 21 sessions |
| Wave structure | its recent swings can be read as a five-part upward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in leg 3 of five; the labelling fails if price closes below 279.32. It is one of several labellings that fit, and it describes the swings already printed, not what comes next. The same swings also read as a three-part correction in leg C. | possible upward five-wave sequence, in wave 3 (one of several readings) |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 56 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal | 56 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | a trend is forming but not yet strong — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 20 (a reading of 25+ marks a strong trend) | 20.0 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 53, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 52.6 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading near the top of its 14-day range ($279.91 to $291.19) — its "stochastic" reading is 81 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been climbing within that range over the last few sessions. | 80.6 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bullish about 2 trading days ago (its momentum flipped positive) | 2 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $303.30 | $303.30 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 4.7% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -4.7% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 21.2% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +21.2% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 4.7% below its highest point of the past year | 4.7% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it made a new 20-day low about 8 trading days ago | 8 sessions |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it made a new 55-day high about 36 trading days ago | 36 sessions |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $363.36 (set on 2022-04-21) | $363.36 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($239.61 to $298.33), and it has given back roughly a quarter of its rise from last year’s low — 16% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $260.16 to $262.04. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 15.9% |
| From the all-time high | it is 20.5% below its all-time high | -20.5% |
| Nearest price level | it is sitting right on a support level at $288.71 — a price it turned at 10 times since 2024-10-10, most recently on 2026-08-06. Since 2024-08-21 it has 7 such levels below the current price and 4 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | -0.1% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $49.19 (set on 2009-02-20) | $49.19 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 487.5% above its all-time low | +487.5% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are narrower than usual versus its own recent 6-month history (tighter than about 84% of it) | 16th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $5.02 between its high and its low — about 1.7% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $5.02 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $278.93 and $294.57 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $278.93 – $286.75 – $294.57 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 1.7% in a typical session — among the calmest in the catalog. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 1.7% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 4.7 daily ranges above its 200-day average price (8.9% above it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 4.7 daily ranges above its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 0.63× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts have raised their average price target by 0.3% since the prior reading | +0.3% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | the analyst consensus rating is unchanged since the prior reading | unchanged |
Candlestick patterns
1
| Since a doji | 5 sessions ago it opened and closed at almost the same price after trading through a wider range — a "doji", the classic picture of buyers and sellers finishing the session level | 5 sessions ago |
|---|
Price gaps
1
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-08-21 0.2% above the previous session's close — an overnight gap, the part of the move that happened while the market was shut, and traded back through that level before the close | +0.2% |
|---|
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it has closed higher 4 sessions in a row, a +2.1% move over the run — an unbroken run of up days, which describes what has already happened and says nothing about the next session | 4 sessions up |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock lagged the market by 4.0 percentage points (the stock lost 1.7% while the market gained 2.3%) | -4.0% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock beat the market by 2.5 percentage points (the stock gained 5.6% while the market gained 3.1%) | +2.5% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock beat the market by 2.5 percentage points (the stock gained 13.5% while the market gained 11.1%) | +2.5% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock lagged the market by 10.5 percentage points (the stock gained 10.0% while the market gained 20.5%) | -10.5% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 4 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: a "golden cross" — its 50-day average is above its 200-day, trading above its 200-day average, MACD momentum is positive, outperforming the market over 6 months — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 4 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 1 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it is currently in a bearish state: near the top of its 14-day range (overbought) — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 1 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading inside the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-07-16 and projected forward over today's price, the zone traders read as unresolved — neither side has established a trend, and the band is where that gets settled. The band itself is moderate, spanning 3.9% of the share price. | 0.0% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 8% above the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $267.12 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 158 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +8.2% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is 1% above the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-07-29 (its 8-K), so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $285.95 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 18 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +1.1% |
Price levels it has turned at before
ESS last closed at $289.00 on 2026-08-21. Since 2024-08-21 it has turned at 7 prices below its last close and 4 above; the 3 nearest below and the 3 nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $288.71 | Support | 0.1% below the last close | turned there 10 times · 2024-10-10 to 2026-08-06 |
| $295.85 | Resistance | 2.4% above the last close | turned there four times · 2024-11-20 to 2026-07-29 |
| $277.53 | Support | 4.0% below the last close | turned there 8 times · 2024-11-04 to 2026-08-12 |
| $302.82 | Resistance | 4.8% above the last close | turned there five times · 2024-10-25 to 2026-07-15 |
| $270.57 | Support | 6.4% below the last close | turned there six times · 2025-04-30 to 2026-06-22 |
| $309.24 | Resistance | 7.0% above the last close | turned there twice · 2024-11-13 to 2025-03-27 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
Its recent swings can be read as a five-part upward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in leg 3 of five.
This labelling fails — stops being a possible reading at all — if it closes below $279.32.
This is one of several labellings that fit the same swings, so treat it as a reading rather than the reading. It was chosen from 2 labellings that survived the rules, counting shorter readings of the same bars.
On past moves of this shape the leg has usually ended somewhere between $310.96 and $330.51 — that is where it has tended to end if the count holds, not a forecast of where the price goes.
Alternate reading: The same swings also read as a three-part correction in leg C, which fails on a close below $279.32.
This labelling was already in place when we began recording count changes on 2026-08-13, so how long it has stood is not something we can say yet.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-08-21.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading above the 200-day moving average · MACD just crossed bullish (12/26/9) · Least volatile (2% or less typical daily range) · At the top of its 14-day range (stochastic above 80) · Trading inside the Ichimoku cloud · Near a support level (sitting on a price it has bounced off before) | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · macd · breakout · fifty two week high low
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-08-21. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Consensus ratingHold (2.54 mean, 1=Strong Buy…5=Strong Sell) — 25 analysts
- Mean price target$304.35 range $239.00 – $352.00; median $303.00
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-08-19. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Analyst EPS estimate for ESS
- Consensus EPS estimate$1.44 next reporting period, as of 2026-08-19
Change over time is not available yet: it needs two readings of the same reporting period at least 30 days apart, and we have been recording these estimates since 2026-08-04. An estimate for a DIFFERENT quarter is not a revision, so a reading from before the last report is never compared with one after it.
The consensus estimate for the next reporting period, and how it has moved between readings of that SAME period. A change is measured only between readings estimating one period — when a company reports, the consensus moves to the next quarter and the two numbers are not comparable. Informational only, not a forecast and not advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["geographic concentration in West Coast markets which increases vulnerability to regional economic downturns or regulatory changes","interest rate sensitivity and access to capital markets for financing debt obligations and growth initiatives"]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of ESS's 10-Q filed 2026-04-29 against the prior one filed 2025-10-30.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Newer filing references 2025 annual report on Form 10-K for year ended December 31, 2025 (vs. 2024 annual report in older filing)
- Newer filing states general partner interest of approximately 96.7% as of March 31, 2026 (vs. 96.6% as of September 30, 2025 in older filing)
- Newer filing states 259 operating apartment communities comprising 63,099 apartment homes as of March 31, 2026 (vs. 257 communities with 62,451 homes as of September 30, 2025)
- Newer filing includes expanded Market Considerations section mentioning 'war' explicitly
- Newer filing compares March 31, 2026 to March 31, 2025 periods (vs. September 30, 2025 to September 30, 2024 in older filing)
- Newer filing shows 2026 Same-Property portfolio average financial occupancy of 96.5% and 96.3% (vs. 2025 Same-Property portfolio of 96.1% and 96.2%)
- Newer filing displays financial occupancy regional breakdown for March 31 periods with different percentages
- Newer filing references 2026 Same-Property portfolio with 52,135 apartment homes and specific Q1 2026 revenue data
- Newer filing shows average rental rate increase from $2,660 to $2,719 per apartment home (vs. $2,653 to $2,718 in older filing)
- Removed:
- Older filing reference to BEX II co-investment consolidation in 2024 is absent from newer filing
- Older filing's comparison period details for September 30, 2024 consolidated operating communities table removed in newer filing
- Older filing's third quarter 2025 Same-Property revenues table and 0.2% occupancy contribution detail removed from newer filing
- Reworded:
- Market Considerations: 'war and regional conflicts' (newer, filed 2026-04-29) vs. 'geopolitical tensions and regional conflicts' (older, filed 2025-10-30)
- Market Considerations: 'capital market participants' (newer) vs. 'capital markets' (older)
- Covenant language changed from 'is not at material risk of not meeting the covenants' (older) to 'is not at material risk of failing to meet the covenants' (newer)
- Financial occupancy definition: 'For apartment communities' (newer) vs. 'For apartment home communities' (older)
- Financial occupancy definition: 'While an apartment community is in the lease-up phase' (newer) vs. 'While an apartment home community is in the lease-up phase' (older)
- Revenue table header: 'rental and other property revenues' (newer, filed 2026-04-29) vs. 'property revenue amounts' (older, filed 2025-10-30)
- Portfolio reference: 'Portfolio' capitalized in newer filing vs. 'portfolio' lowercase in older filing
- Notes:
- Newer filing text appears truncated at end of Non-Same Property Revenues section, preventing complete comparison of that section
- Older filing text also appears truncated at end of Same-Property Revenues discussion, limiting full comparison
- Different reporting periods (Q1 2026 vs. Q3 2025) make direct performance comparisons not directly relevant to document changes
Risk Factors
The two filings could not be meaningfully compared for this section.
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
0 open-market purchases and 1 open-market sale by insiders in the last 90 days.
- Last 90 days0 buys · 1 sell ($167670) — 1 selling insider
- Last 180 days0 buys · 1 sell ($167670) — 1 selling insider
Activity heuristic: net selling (a transparent product heuristic from the counts above, not a prediction or advice)
Most recent open-market transaction: 2026-05-27. As of 2026-08-24.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsAsk about ESS's insider activity →
Only open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
Congressional trading disclosures
U.S. House members publicly disclose their own, their spouse's, and dependent children's stock transactions under the STOCK Act. We hold 1 matched disclosure for ESS from U.S. House Clerk Periodic Transaction Report filings.
Congressional trading disclosures →Short interest (FINRA)
ESS had 2,227,641 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
ESS had 3.47% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 4.26 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 2,227,641
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 3.47%
- Prior settlement (shares) 2,030,071
- Reported change 9.73%
- Days to cover (reported) 4.26
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-07-31 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- AvalonBay Communities (AVB)
- Equity Residential (EQR)
- UDR, Inc. (UDR)
- Camden Property Trust (CPT)
- Invitation Homes (INVH)
- American Homes 4 Rent (AMH)
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
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Frequently asked questions
What does Essex Property Trust (ESS) do?
Essex Property Trust is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, develops, redevelops, and manages multifamily residential properties. The company focuses primarily on locations within the West Coast region of the United States. Its operations include apartment community ownership, property management, and strategic co-investments in residential assets.
What sector is Essex Property Trust (ESS) in?
Essex Property Trust (ESS) is classified in the Real Estate sector. Its industry is multifamily REIT. It trades on NYSE.
Does ESS pay a dividend?
Yes — Essex Property Trust (ESS) pays a dividend, with an indicated yield of about 4.30% and at least 5 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC EDGAR XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer (market data, as of 2026-08-24). Informational only — not financial advice.
Who are Essex Property Trust's (ESS) competitors?
Notable peers of Essex Property Trust (ESS) include AvalonBay Communities, Equity Residential, UDR, Inc., Camden Property Trust and Invitation Homes. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Has there been recent Congressional stock trading in ESS?
Yes — we hold 1 matched STOCK Act disclosure for ESS from U.S. House Clerk Periodic Transaction Report filings. These are legally-required disclosures (often filed 30–45 days after the trade), may belong to a U.S. House member, their spouse, or a dependent child, and are not an indicator of company performance or investment advice.
Is Essex Property Trust (ESS) overbought or oversold right now?
Essex Property Trust (ESS) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 53, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-08-21). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on ESS come from?
Fundamentals and prices come from market data, as of 2026-08-24; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: market data, as of 2026-08-24. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-08-21.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.