ESS Dividend Yield 2026: Essex Property Trust, Inc.

The free dividend tracker to help you grow your wealth. Link your brokerage accounts and MerryDiv automatically syncs your holdings and dividends.

Data last updated: Jul 06, 2026

Snapshot (as of Jul 06, 2026): Essex Property Trust, Inc. (ESS) pays a $10.32 annual dividend ($2.59 quarterly), yielding 3.46% at $298.33/share. Next ex-dividend date 2026-06-30. Source: Yahoo Finance, aggregated by MerryDiv.

Dividend Yield: 3.46%

Annual Dividend: $10.32 per share

Payout Ratio: 115.1%

Ex-Dividend Date: 2026-06-30

Dividend Frequency: quarterly

Sector: Real Estate

Years of Dividend History: 33

About Essex Property Trust, Inc. Dividend

Essex Property Trust, Inc. owns and operates roughly 60,000 apartment homes across 246 communities on the West Coast. The Essex Property Trust, Inc. dividend currently yields 3.46%, with an annual rate of $10.32 per share paid quarterly. The next ex-dividend date is June 30, 2026, and the last declared quarterly payment was $2.59 per share. With a beta of 0.715, ESS stock moves less than the broader market, which appeals to income-focused investors who prioritize lower volatility.

Dividend Safety

Essex Property Trust, Inc. pays out 115.1% of earnings as dividends, a payout ratio classified as high (above 75%). For a REIT, payout ratios above 100% are not uncommon, as earnings-based metrics do not fully capture the cash generated by property operations across ESS's 246 apartment communities. Essex Property Trust, Inc. dividend safety faces pressure from that elevated ratio, which leaves little room to absorb earnings declines without affecting the dividend. Any meaningful drop in rental income across its West Coast portfolio would put the current payout level under strain.

Essex Property Trust, Inc. (ESS) Dividend Growth Rate, CAGR, and History

Over the past 15 years, Essex Property Trust, Inc. dividend history shows a CAGR of 6.2% per year from 2010 to 2025. The per-share annual dividend grew from $4.13 to $10.16 over that period (2026 data is a partial year and excluded from the growth calculation). The smallest annual increase in the window was 0.6% in 2021. For income investors, 6.2% annualized growth is meaningful over time, but the near-flat 2021 increase shows growth can slow sharply in a single year.

Essex Property Trust, Inc. Dividend Growth Rate (CAGR)

Period	CAGR	From	To
3-Year	+4.9%	$8.80 (2022)	$10.16 (2025)
5-Year	+4.1%	$8.31 (2020)	$10.16 (2025)
10-Year	+5.8%	$5.76 (2015)	$10.16 (2025)

Is Essex Property Trust, Inc. a Good Dividend Stock?

ESS stock fits income-focused investors who want exposure to West Coast residential real estate with a dividend that has grown at 6.2% annually over 15 years. The current yield of 3.46% sits in the moderate (2-4%) range and is above the 5-year average of 2.94%, which means buyers today are locking in a yield above recent norms. The trade-off is a payout ratio of 115.1%, which is high and leaves the dividend with limited cushion. What an investor gets here is a growing income stream backed by a large apartment portfolio. What they accept is a payout that exceeds reported earnings, with only one consecutive year of dividend increases on record.

Recent Essex Property Trust, Inc. Dividend Payments

Payment Date	Amount per Share
2026-06-30	$2.5900
2026-03-31	$2.5900
2026-01-02	$2.5700
2025-09-30	$2.5700
2025-06-30	$2.5700
2025-03-31	$2.5700
2025-01-02	$2.4500
2024-09-30	$2.4500
2024-06-28	$2.4500
2024-03-27	$2.4500

Essex Property Trust, Inc. Annual Dividend History

Year	Total Dividends
2026	$7.7500
2025	$10.1600
2024	$7.3500
2023	$9.2400
2022	$8.8000

Related Real Estate Dividend Stocks

• O — Realty Income Corporation (4.93% yield)
• PSA — Public Storage (3.64% yield)
• VTR — Ventas, Inc. (2.08% yield)
• SUHJF — Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited (3.30% yield)
• IRM — Iron Mountain Incorporated (2.88% yield)
• VICI — VICI Properties Inc. (6.90% yield)

Frequently Asked Questions

How often does Essex Property Trust, Inc. pay dividends?

Essex Property Trust, Inc. pays dividends quarterly. The last declared dividend was $2.59 per share, with an ex-dividend date of June 30, 2026.

What is Essex Property Trust, Inc.'s current dividend yield?

The current ESS dividend yield is 3.46%. That is above the 5-year average yield of 2.94%, so today's buyers are receiving more income than the stock has historically offered.

Has Essex Property Trust, Inc. ever cut its dividend?

No year-over-year cut appears in the available dividend history from 2010 through 2025. The data window covers 15 years, but history outside that range is not available here.

How fast has Essex Property Trust, Inc. grown its dividend?

Essex Property Trust, Inc. has grown its dividend at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2% per year from 2010 to 2025. The annual payout rose from $4.13 to $10.16 per share over that period.

Is Essex Property Trust, Inc. dividend safe?

The payout ratio is 115.1%, which is high and means the dividend currently exceeds reported earnings. REITs often run elevated payout ratios, but this level leaves limited buffer if property income declines.

What type of investor is Essex Property Trust, Inc. best suited for?

ESS suits income-focused investors who want a moderate yield above 3% with a history of dividend growth. The elevated payout ratio means it is less suited for investors who prioritize dividend safety above all else.

How does Essex Property Trust, Inc. compare to its own historical yield?

The current yield of 3.46% is above the 5-year average of 2.94%. That gap of roughly half a percentage point means the stock is offering more income than it has on average over the past five years.

Latest ESS News

• Essex stock trades near recent range as rental income supports margins - ad-hoc-news.de — ad-hoc-news.de
• What Essex Property Trust (ESS)'s Valuation Gap and AI-Linked West Coast Exposure Means For Shareholders - simplywall.st — simplywall.st
• ESS Tech Updates ATM Offering, Adds Roth Capital - TipRanks — TipRanks

Project income from ESS with the ESS dividend calculator or track your full portfolio with the dividend tracker.