Global X Japan Co. Ltd. Buys 249 Shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS)

Global X Japan Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) by 16.9% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,724 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 249 shares during the quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Essex Property Trust were worth $492,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 775 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 803 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $229,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 37.5% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 154 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Essex Property Trust by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 14,157 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $4,041,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Finally, Greenleaf Trust grew its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 948 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $271,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.51% of the company’s stock.

Essex Property Trust Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:ESS opened at $297.55 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $287.46 and its 200 day moving average is $292.36. The company has a market cap of $19.12 billion, a PE ratio of 34.76, a P/E/G ratio of 6.60 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a 1 year low of $223.06 and a 1 year high of $317.73.

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $2.52. Essex Property Trust had a return on equity of 9.72% and a net margin of 31.55%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Essex Property Trust, Inc. will post 15.58 EPS for the current year.

Essex Property Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd were paid a $2.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $9.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.29%. Essex Property Trust’s payout ratio is currently 114.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ESS. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $302.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Essex Property Trust from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $308.00 to $310.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Essex Property Trust from $314.00 to $305.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets raised Essex Property Trust from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $323.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Raymond James lowered Essex Property Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $305.74.

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.