Leeward Investments LLC MA Purchases 1,575 Shares of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS)

Leeward Investments LLC MA increased its position in Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) by 4.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 41,299 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,575 shares during the period. Leeward Investments LLC MA’s holdings in Essex Property Trust were worth $10,110,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Essex Property Trust by 632.8% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,001 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,719,000 after acquiring an additional 12,954 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its stake in Essex Property Trust by 201.1% during the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 534,964 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $132,639,000 after acquiring an additional 357,268 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Essex Property Trust by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 49,277 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $12,218,000 after acquiring an additional 4,943 shares during the period. JLP Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Essex Property Trust during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,802,000. Finally, Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Essex Property Trust during the 4th quarter valued at about $3,304,000. Institutional investors own 96.51% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Essex Property Trust

In other Essex Property Trust news, CEO Angela L. Kleiman sold 3,780 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.27, for a total transaction of $1,051,860.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 9,494 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,641,895.38. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, Director Keith R. Guericke sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.57, for a total value of $2,745,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 16,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,425,519.26. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Angela L. Kleiman sold 3,780 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.27, for a total value of $1,051,860.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 9,494 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,641,895.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ESS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Essex Property Trust from $244.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Wedbush increased their price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust from $240.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust from $250.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Raymond James upgraded shares of Essex Property Trust from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Essex Property Trust from $239.50 to $243.50 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $258.63.

Essex Property Trust Price Performance

ESS traded up $0.71 during trading on Friday, reaching $270.31. 19,571 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 377,536. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 3.19 and a current ratio of 3.19. Essex Property Trust, Inc. has a 12-month low of $203.85 and a 12-month high of $284.77. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $264.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $248.30. The company has a market cap of $17.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.96, a PEG ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.86.

Essex Property Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 28th will be issued a dividend of $2.45 per share. This represents a $9.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 28th. 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.