2,925 Shares in Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) Bought by Virtu Financial LLC

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 2,925 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $796,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,228 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. M&R Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Essex Property Trust by 5.4% in the second quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,014 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $276,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Quilter Plc lifted its stake in Essex Property Trust by 0.6% in the second quarter. Quilter Plc now owns 8,698 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,368,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Essex Property Trust by 10.3% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 591 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $145,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust by 0.5% during the first quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 11,296 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,765,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.51% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on ESS shares. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust from $250.00 to $266.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. BNP Paribas began coverage on Essex Property Trust in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $333.00 price target on the stock. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Essex Property Trust from $309.00 to $329.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Essex Property Trust from $240.00 to $308.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Raymond James increased their price target on Essex Property Trust from $295.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Essex Property Trust presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $291.10.

Insider Buying and Selling at Essex Property Trust

In related news, Director Amal M. Johnson sold 2,453 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $735,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,585 shares in the company, valued at approximately $775,500. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, Director Amal M. Johnson sold 7,298 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $316.31, for a total value of $2,308,430.38. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,585 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $817,661.35. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Amal M. Johnson sold 2,453 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $735,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,585 shares in the company, valued at approximately $775,500. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 20,402 shares of company stock worth $6,399,663 over the last quarter. 3.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Essex Property Trust Stock Up 0.1 %

Essex Property Trust stock opened at $312.42 on Friday. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a twelve month low of $203.85 and a twelve month high of $317.73. The company has a quick ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The company has a 50 day moving average of $291.55 and a 200-day moving average of $267.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.06 billion, a PE ratio of 38.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.88.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.85 by ($2.40). The firm had revenue of $442.36 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $433.26 million. Essex Property Trust had a net margin of 30.31% and a return on equity of 9.14%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.77 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 15.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Essex Property Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $2.45 per share. This represents a $9.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.14%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. Essex Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 119.80%.

Essex Property Trust Company Profile

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.