Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Buys 416 Shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS)

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 132,317 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 416 shares during the quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Essex Property Trust were worth $37,635,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in Essex Property Trust by 2,400.0% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 100 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in Essex Property Trust during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 37.5% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 154 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Essex Property Trust in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 104.5% in the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 225 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $68,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. 96.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Essex Property Trust Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:ESS opened at $288.09 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $285.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $292.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.96, a PEG ratio of 6.93 and a beta of 0.92. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a 12-month low of $225.40 and a 12-month high of $317.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $2.52. Essex Property Trust had a return on equity of 13.05% and a net margin of 41.79%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 15.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Essex Property Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were paid a $2.45 dividend. This represents a $9.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 2nd. Essex Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 84.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ESS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Mizuho cut their price objective on Essex Property Trust from $325.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Essex Property Trust from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $323.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Barclays cut their price objective on Essex Property Trust from $316.00 to $302.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Essex Property Trust from $297.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $306.53.

About Essex Property Trust

Essex Property Trust, Inc, an S&P 500 company, is a fully integrated real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, develops, redevelops, and manages multifamily residential properties in selected West Coast markets. Essex currently has ownership interests in 252 apartment communities comprising approximately 62,000 apartment homes with an additional property in active development.