Essex Property Trust, Inc. vs Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF — how do they compare? Essex Property Trust, Inc. trades at $282.11 (market cap $18.20B), while Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF trades at $381.61. The key difference: Essex Property Trust, Inc. pays a 3.66% dividend while Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF pays none, and Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF is trading nearer its 52-week high, Essex Property Trust, Inc. nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ESS | VTI | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $18.20B | — |
Sector | Real Estate | — |
52-Week High | $298.33 | $381.78 |
52-Week Low | $239.61 | $311.68 |
Enterprise Value | $24.80B | — |
Dividend Yield | 3.66% | — |
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.
VTI trades at $381.78, up 0.71% with strong bullish momentum indicated by moving averages. The ETF shows institutional accumulation with multiple firms increasing positions in Q2 2026. Technical indicators show mixed signals with RSI suggesting potential overbought conditions while ADX confirms strong trend strength. Recent news highlights VTI's role as a core portfolio holding for long-term investors seeking broad market exposure.
VTI offers diversified US equity exposure with low-cost structure, though recent fee competition from competitors like BBUS presents margin pressure. The ETF's 14.53% 10-year annualized return demonstrates strong historical performance. Key risks include market concentration in large-cap tech and broader economic sensitivity. Analyst sentiment remains positive for long-term investors seeking total market diversification.
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 →The fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the index, which represents approximately 100% of the investable US stock market and includes large-, mid-, small-, and micro-cap stocks. It invests by sampling the index, meaning that it holds a broadly diversified collection of securities that, in the aggregate, approximates the full index in terms of key characteristics.
Read more on VTI →