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Compare Essex Property Trust, Inc. (ESS) vs Morgan Stanley (MS) Price & Performance

Essex Property Trust, Inc.Trade
Morgan StanleyTrade

Price performance (Past 24H)

Key statistics

Essex Property Trust, Inc. vs Morgan Stanley — how do they compare? Essex Property Trust, Inc. trades at $282.11 (market cap $18.20B), while Morgan Stanley trades at $215.3 (market cap $338.50B). The key difference: Morgan Stanley is far larger — about 18.6× Essex Property Trust, Inc.'s market cap, and Essex Property Trust, Inc. pays the higher dividend (3.66%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.

ESSMS
Market Cap
$18.20B$338.50B
Sector
Real EstateFinancials
52-Week High
$298.33$228.42
52-Week Low
$239.61$143.88
Enterprise Value
$24.80B
Dividend Yield
3.66%2.14%

Aura AI Summary

Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice

Essex Property Trust, Inc.

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.

Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley (MS) trades at $215.1, down 0.54% on the day, with a neutral technical signal and key support at $214. The company reported strong earnings beats in recent quarters, with Q2 2026 EPS of $3.46 surpassing expectations of $2.89. Revenue growth accelerated to $66.0B in 2025, and net income margin improved to 25.56%. Recent news highlights Morgan Stanley's role in leading Anthropic's IPO and expanding AI integration in wealth management.

The outlook remains positive with a consensus price target of $239.58, implying 11% upside. Strengths include robust profitability and strategic initiatives, but risks involve volatile cash flows from operations and high leverage. Analyst sentiment is bullish with 56% buy ratings, though investors should monitor debt levels and market volatility.

Returns comparison

Trailing returns across standard periods

Top news

Latest headlines on both assets

About Essex Property Trust, Inc.

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

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley is a global investment bank whose history, through its legacy firms, can be traced back to 1924. The company has institutional securities, wealth management, and investment management segments. The company had about $5 trillion of client assets as well as over 70,000 employees at the end of 2021. Approximately 50% of the company's net revenue is from its institutional securities business, with the remainder coming from wealth and investment management. The company derives about 30% of its total revenue outside the Americas.

Read more on MS