Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) Coverage Initiated at StockNews.com

Equities research analysts at StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS – Get Rating) in a research note issued on Thursday. The brokerage set a “hold” rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on ESS. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Essex Property Trust from $242.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 1st. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Thursday, February 9th. Raymond James lowered shares of Essex Property Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 23rd. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research note on Thursday, December 15th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $226.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott lowered shares of Essex Property Trust from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $241.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, December 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Essex Property Trust presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $256.15.

Essex Property Trust Trading Up 1.1 %

ESS stock opened at $216.79 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $225.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $227.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. Essex Property Trust has a 52-week low of $205.24 and a 52-week high of $363.36. The firm has a market cap of $13.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.52, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.74.

Institutional Trading of Essex Property Trust

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Claro Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 2,580 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $547,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Essex Property Trust by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 22,973 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $4,868,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the period. Natixis boosted its position in Essex Property Trust by 98.7% in the 4th quarter. Natixis now owns 19,461 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $4,124,000 after buying an additional 9,669 shares during the period. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Essex Property Trust in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $399,000. Finally, Macquarie Group Ltd. boosted its position in Essex Property Trust by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. now owns 283,412 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $60,060,000 after buying an additional 14,249 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.76% of the company’s stock.

About Essex Property Trust

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Essex Property Trust, Inc operates as a real estate investment trust. It engages in the ownership, operation, management, acquisition, development, and redevelopment of predominantly apartment communities. The company was founded by George M. Marcus in 1971 and is headquartered in San Mateo, CA.