Essex Property Trust, Inc. vs Lamb Weston Holdings Inc — how do they compare? Essex Property Trust, Inc. trades at $282.11 (market cap $18.20B), while Lamb Weston Holdings Inc trades at $52.79 (market cap $7.12B). The key difference: Essex Property Trust, Inc. is far larger — about 2.6× Lamb Weston Holdings Inc's market cap, and Essex Property Trust, Inc. pays the higher dividend (3.66%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ESS | LW | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $18.20B | $7.12B |
Sector | Real Estate | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $298.33 | $66.57 |
52-Week Low | $239.61 | $38.48 |
Enterprise Value | $24.80B | $11.00B |
Dividend Yield | 3.66% | 2.93% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
ESS trades at $288.1, up 1.05% daily, with a neutral technical signal and support near $284. The stock shows strong profitability with a 21.48% net margin and recent Q2 2026 earnings miss on EPS but beat on FFO, leading to raised full-year guidance. Revenue growth is steady, reaching $1.89B in 2025, though net income declined to $670M from $742M in 2024.
Outlook is cautiously optimistic with a consensus price target of $305.86, implying ~6% upside. Risks include high debt levels (debt-to-asset ratio of 51.92% in 2024) and regional economic exposure. Analyst sentiment is mixed with 40% buy ratings, but institutional interest grew with Amundi increasing its stake in Q1 2026.
Lamb Weston (LW) trades at $52.27, up 0.42% today, with a bullish technical outlook and consistent earnings beats. The stock shows strong profitability with a 16.28% ROE and trades at a P/E of 25.13. Recent Q2 2026 results exceeded expectations with EPS of $0.87 versus $0.626 estimated. The company maintains a solid dividend yield with a recent $0.38 per share payout announced.
The outlook is positive given operational improvements and cost savings, though international headwinds and margin pressures pose risks. Analyst consensus is a 'Hold' with a $53.86 price target, indicating modest upside. Investors should weigh strong North American growth against geopolitical and cost challenges impacting international segments.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Essex Property Trust owns a portfolio of 253 apartment communities with over 62,000 units and is developing three additional properties with 571 units. The company focuses on owning large, high-quality properties on the West Coast in the urban and suburban submarkets of Southern California, Northern California, and Seattle.
Read more on ESS →Lamb Weston is the world's second-largest producer of branded and private-label frozen potato products, such as French fries, sweet potato fries, tater tots, diced potatoes, mashed potatoes, hash browns, and chips. The company also has a small appetizer business that produces onion rings, mozzarella sticks, and cheese curds. Including joint ventures, 63% of fiscal 2022 revenue was U.S.-based, with the remainder stemming from Europe, Canada, Japan, China, Korea, Mexico, and several other countries. Lamb Weston's customer mix is estimated 58% quick-serve restaurants, 19% full-service restaurants, 8% other food services (hotels, commercial cafeterias, arenas, schools), and 16% retail. Lamb Weston became an independent company in 2016 when it was spun off from Conagra.
Read more on LW →