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Data last updated: Oct 16, 2026
Snapshot (as of Oct 16, 2026): Essex Property Trust, Inc. (ESS) pays a $10.32 annual dividend ($2.59 quarterly), yielding 3.84% at $268.00/share. Next ex-dividend date 2026-09-30. Source: Yahoo Finance, aggregated by MerryDiv.
Dividend Yield: 3.84%
Annual Dividend: $10.32 per share
Payout Ratio: 160.5% (based on depressed trailing earnings — see safety analysis below)
Ex-Dividend Date: 2026-09-30
Dividend Frequency: quarterly
Sector: Real Estate
Years of Dividend History: 33
Essex Property Trust, Inc. owns and operates over 62,000 apartment homes across 258 multifamily communities on the West Coast. The Essex Property Trust, Inc. dividend currently yields 3.81%, with trailing twelve-month payments of $10.32 per share paid quarterly. The next ex-dividend date is September 30, 2026, with the last declared amount at $2.59 per share. A beta of 0.715 makes ESS stock less volatile than the broader market, which suits income-focused investors who prioritize steadier price behavior.
Essex Property Trust, Inc. pays out 160.5% of earnings as dividends, a payout ratio classified as high (above 75%). As a REIT, ESS is structured to distribute the majority of its income, and its portfolio of over 62,000 apartment homes across West Coast markets provides a large, recurring revenue base that supports the payout. Essex Property Trust, Inc. dividend safety faces pressure from that elevated ratio, which leaves limited room to absorb earnings shortfalls without affecting the dividend.
Over the past 15 years, Essex Property Trust, Inc. has grown its dividend at 6.2% per year. Per-share payments rose from $4.13 in 2010 to $10.16 in 2025, with 2026 partial-year data not included in that calculation (Essex Property Trust, Inc. dividend 2026 reflects an incomplete year). Essex Property Trust, Inc. dividend history shows the smallest annual increase in the window was 0.6% in 2021, while the largest reached 12.7% in 2015.
| 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) |
ESS stock fits income-focused investors who want exposure to West Coast multifamily real estate with a moderate yield and meaningful long-term dividend growth. The current yield of 3.81% sits above its 5-year average of 3.48%, which means buyers today are getting a slightly better entry yield than the historical norm. The trade-off is a payout ratio of 160.5%, which is high even by REIT standards and limits how aggressively the dividend can grow from here. Growth has averaged 6.2% annually over 15 years, but the payout constraint means that pace is not guaranteed to continue. What Essex Property Trust, Inc. offers is a moderate (2-4%) yield backed by a large, geographically focused apartment portfolio, with the caveat that the elevated payout ratio is the defining risk.
| Payment Date | Amount per Share |
|---|---|
| 2026-09-30 | $2.5900 |
| 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 |
| Year | Total Dividends |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $10.3400 |
| 2025 | $10.1600 |
| 2024 | $7.3500 |
| 2023 | $9.2400 |
| 2022 | $8.8000 |
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