Key facts, as of
As of October 13, 2026, Essex Property Trust (ESS) trades at $270.39, up 5.7% over the past year. Its 52-week range runs from $238.46 to $303.35; the price is 10.9% below that high. It is 25.6% below its all-time high of $363.36, reached in April 2022. Over the 10 years to the end of September 2026, with dividends reinvested, it returned +69.1%, against +312.9% for the S&P 500 (SPY). It sits 0.6% above its 200-day average of $268.74, the usual sign of a long-term uptrend. Its 30-day volatility is 13.4% annualized, which we rate low risk. It has a trailing P/E of 41.9 and a dividend yield of 3.83%.
Cite: Portfolio Terminal, "Essex Property Trust (ESS) stock analysis", 2026-10-13. https://portfolio-terminal.com/analyse/ess
Where it trades today
trading 49% of the way up its 52-week range
How the price has moved
How far it is from its record
Essex Property Trust (ESS) is 25.6% below its all-time high of $363.36, reached in April 2022. Over the 10 years to the end of September 2026, with dividends reinvested, it returned +69.1%, against +312.9% for the S&P 500 (SPY).
What to weigh before acting
What Matters Now
- Financing conditions, occupancy, and asset repricing are the main levers behind upside or downside from here.
- ESS trades at 41.9x earnings, well above the real estate average of 35.0x, so the market is already pricing in above-consensus execution.
- Recent realized volatility sits near 13.4%, below the sector norm of 20.0%, which supports a steadier role inside a diversified portfolio.
- Relative performance versus PLD, EQIX matters here because leadership inside real estate rarely stays static for long.
Portfolio Use Case
- ESS is more relevant for investors who want some income support alongside price appreciation, not just pure growth exposure.
- The beta profile suggests it can fit a quality or lower-volatility sleeve more naturally than a high-octane tactical basket.
- This page is most useful for deciding whether the stock deserves a permanent slot in the portfolio or just a place on the watchlist.
What Would Change the View
- A reset in earnings expectations or a faster peer catch-up could compress the premium valuation currently embedded in ESS.
- The view would need revisiting if peers such as PLD, EQIX start winning the marginal flow or posting cleaner operating momentum.
Methodology
- Price, market cap, beta, yield, and liquidity fields for ESS come from Yahoo Finance quote and summary data.
- 30-day volatility is calculated from recent daily returns and annualized using a 252-trading-day convention.
- Sector context uses stored benchmark averages for Real Estate so each page compares the ticker against a stable peer baseline rather than against the whole market.
- Peer comparisons use the Portfolio Terminal coverage set and highlight nearby listed alternatives such as PLD, EQIX.
Sources
- Yahoo Finance quote dataopen →
Live quote, valuation, beta, yield, and volume fields used for ESS. Last refresh: Oct 13, 2026, 9:18 AM.
- Portfolio Terminal methodologyopen →
Explains how analytics, refresh cadence, and portfolio interpretation work across the product.
- Peer set and coverage context
Comparative context for this page is anchored around nearby tracked names such as PLD, EQIX.
What Essex Property Trust does
Essex Property Trust, Inc., an S&P 500 company, is a fully integrated real estate investment trust. The firm acquires, develops, redevelops, and manages multifamily residential properties in selected West Coast markets. Essex currently has ownership interests in 258 apartment communities comprising over 62,000 apartment homes with an additional property in active development. Essex Property Trust, Inc. was incorporated in 1971 in Maryland and is based in San Mateo, United States.
Employees
1,686
Industry
REIT - Residential
Headquarters
San Mateo, United States
What analysts expect
ESS carries a hold consensus from 25 analysts, with an average price target of $301.71 versus $270.39 today (+11.6%). Targets are estimates and can move quickly after earnings.
Consensus aggregated by Yahoo Finance. Targets are estimates, not forecasts.
How the business is doing
ESS generated $1.98B in trailing revenue (3.1% year over year), with a 20.9% net margin, and $1.04B of free cash flow, against $6.68B of net debt.
The numbers, year by year
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Gross profit | Operating income | Net income | EPS | Free cash flow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1.89B | $1.28B | $601.91M | $669.67M | $10.40 | $934.08M |
| 2024 | $1.77B | $1.21B | $528.51M | $741.52M | $11.55 | $931.91M |
| 2023 | $1.67B | $1.14B | $525.43M | $405.82M | $6.32 | $839.69M |
| 2022 | $1.61B | $1.10B | $513.18M | $408.31M | $6.27 | $812.46M |
When it reports next
Estimates aggregated by Yahoo Finance. Dates move and estimates change until the report lands.
Which ETFs hold it
ESS is in 5 of the 30 ETFs we track. It weighs most in VNQ: 0.96% of the fund, holding #18 of 140.
How it sits in real estate
REITs and real estate companies offering income through property investments.
The companies it competes with
ESS beside the real estate names it is usually measured against.
What the chart is saying
Slipped under its 50-day average inside a longer uptrend.
weakening- Price is 2.9% below its 50-day average and 0.6% above its 200-day.
- The 50-day crossed above the 200-day on 2026-06-01 (a “golden cross”).
- RSI at 44 is neither stretched nor washed out.
- The nearest ceiling is $279.62 (+3.4%), the nearest floor $264.69 (-2.1%).
A description of the chart, not advice. Indicators describe what the price has done; none of them knows what it does next.
Questions people ask about it
Is ESS a good investment in 2026?
Essex Property Trust trades at a P/E ratio of 41.9, with low volatility (13.4% annualized). The stock is in a consolidation phase.
What is the risk level of ESS?
Based on 30-day volatility of 13.4%, ESS has LOW risk. Beta of 0.71 indicates lower sensitivity to market movements than average.
Does ESS pay dividends?
Yes, Essex Property Trust has a dividend yield of 3.83%.
How far is ESS from its all-time high?
Essex Property Trust is 25.6% below its all-time high of $363.36, reached in April 2022. Over the 10 years to the end of September 2026, with dividends reinvested, it returned +69.1%, against +312.9% for the S&P 500 (SPY).
Which ETFs hold ESS?
5 of the 30 popular ETFs we track hold Essex Property Trust. The largest weights: VNQ (0.96%), VOO (0.03%), SPY (0.03%), IVV (0.03%) and VTI (0.02%). Measured on each issuer's full holdings file, dated August 31 to September 24, 2026.
How much of VOO is ESS?
0.03%, as of August 31, 2026: ESS is holding #405 of 505 in Vanguard's file for VOO. $1,000 in VOO puts about $0.27 in Essex Property Trust.
What is the analyst price target for ESS?
The average analyst price target for Essex Property Trust (ESS) is $301.71 based on 25 analyst estimates, about 11.6% above the current price of $270.39. The published range runs from $239.00 to $330.00.
How much revenue does ESS generate?
Essex Property Trust reported $1.98B in trailing twelve-month revenue. Revenue growth is running at 3.1% year over year. Net margin sits at 20.9%. Figures are aggregated from company filings by Yahoo Finance and refresh on an hourly cadence.
Compare ESS with anything
Five years side by side: what $10,000 became, how far each fell, whether they move together.