# Essex Property Trust Inc. (ESS) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-09-08. NYSE, United States. Sector: Real Estate / Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). Price $278.61, market value $19.2 billion.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): 43.5×** (5-yr avg 30.5×, 3-yr avg 27.8×). Essex Property Trust Inc. trades at 43.5× trailing earnings, well above its own five-year average of 30.5×: investors are paying up relative to the company's past. The Real Estate median in the September 2026 study was 25.2×. Forward P/E is 44.6×, higher than trailing, so analysts expect earnings to fall.
- **Price / sales: 2066.2×**. Each dollar of revenue is priced at 2066.2×, a level that requires very high margins or very fast growth to justify.
- **Price / book: 3.4×**. The shares trade at 3.4× book value; book value is a meaningful part of the valuation.
- **EV / EBITDA: 15.9×**. Enterprise value is 15.9× operating earnings before depreciation, the multiple that ignores how the company is financed.
- **Earnings yield: 2.3%**. The inverse of the P/E: 2.3% of the price is earned each year.

## Profitability
- **Return on equity: 12.7%**. 12.7% on shareholders' equity is solid.
- **Return on invested capital: 8.1%**. Return on all capital, debt included, is 8.1%.
- **Return on assets: 3.3%**. Each dollar of assets produces 3.3% of profit.

## Growth
- **Revenue growth (1 yr): -8.6%** (3-yr -5.6%/yr, 5-yr -0.5%/yr). Revenue fell 8.6% over the last year, against -0.5% a year compounded over five years: growth is slowing.
- **EPS growth (1 yr): -9.9%** (3-yr 18.4%/yr, 5-yr 3.7%/yr). Earnings per share fell 9.9%, roughly in step with revenue.

## Financial health
- **Debt to equity: 0.12**. Debt is 0.12 times equity: a conservative balance sheet.
- **Net debt / EBITDA: 0.5×**. It would take 0.5 years of operating earnings to repay net borrowings, within the comfortable range.
- **Altman Z-score: 2.37**. A Z-score of 2.37 is in the grey zone; not distressed, not clearly safe.
- **Piotroski F-score: 5/9**. 5 of 9 checks pass: mixed.

## Dividends
- **Dividend yield: 3.72%** ($10.32 per share, trailing). Essex Property Trust Inc. yields 3.72%, an income-level yield.
- **Payout ratio: 93%**. 93% of earnings goes out as dividends, leaving a thin cushion.
- **Consecutive years of increases: 1**. 1 straight year of increases.
- **Dividend growth (5 yr): 4.1%/yr** (1-yr 38.2%). The dividend has grown 4.1% a year over five years.

## Analyst view
- **Analyst consensus: buy** (25 analysts). 25 analysts cover Essex Property Trust Inc.; the consensus is buy, with an average price target of $304.99 (+9% from the current price). Analyst opinion is shown for context; it is not part of the Fundamental Score.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): 9.5%** (YTD 9.6%, 3-mo -1.5%). The shares are up 9.5% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -8.2%** (16.8% above the low). Trading 8% below its 52-week high.
- **200-day average: above**. The price sits above its 200-day moving average, the usual definition of an uptrend.
- **RSI (14-day): 41**. An RSI of 41 is neutral.
- **Beta (1 yr): 0.17** (volatility 20%). Beta of 0.17 against the S&P 500: the shares move much less than the market.

Live score and charts: https://foliofundamentals.com/analyzer?s=ESS · Page: https://foliofundamentals.com/stocks/ess

Not investment advice.