Essex Property Trust, Inc. vs Warner Music Group Corp — how do they compare? Essex Property Trust, Inc. trades at $282.11 (market cap $18.20B), while Warner Music Group Corp trades at $25.08 (market cap $13.82B). The key difference: Essex Property Trust, Inc. is the larger of the two by market cap, and Essex Property Trust, Inc. pays the higher dividend (3.66%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ESS | WMG | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $18.20B | $13.82B |
Sector | Real Estate | Media |
52-Week High | $298.33 | $34.72 |
52-Week Low | $239.61 | $23.65 |
Enterprise Value | $24.80B | $18.12B |
Dividend Yield | 3.66% | 3.03% |
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.
Warner Music Group (WMG) trades at $26.39, showing modest daily movement with a slight 0.19% decline. The stock exhibits bearish technical signals despite recent earnings beats in Q1 and Q2 2026. Fundamentally, revenue has grown consistently from $5.9B in 2022 to $6.7B in 2025, though net income margin declined to 5.44%. The company maintains strong profitability metrics with 45.77% gross margin and 25.38% ROE, while analyst sentiment remains positive with 66.7% buy ratings.
WMG presents a compelling value opportunity with reasonable valuation multiples (P/E 21.11, P/S 1.89) and strong analyst support. Near-term catalysts include streaming revenue growth and new licensing partnerships, though risks include margin pressure and leadership transitions. The stock's current technical weakness may offer entry points for long-term investors seeking exposure to music industry consolidation and digital transformation trends.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
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 →Warner Music Group is the third largest of the three major global record labels, with Vivendi's Universal Music in first and Sony Music in second. Warner's larger segment, recorded music, consists of iconic labels like Atlantic Records, Warner Records, and Parlophone Records and popular artists such as Ed Sheeran, Cardi B, Dua Lipa, and Blake Shelton. Warner Chappell, the firm's publishing arm, is the home to over 65,000 composers and songwriters with over a million copyrights represented. Warner is controlled by Access Industries, which owns an 84% economic interest and 99% of voting rights.
Read more on WMG →