Essex Property Trust, Inc. vs Zoom Video Communications, Inc. — how do they compare? Essex Property Trust, Inc. trades at $281.05 (market cap $18.15B), while Zoom Video Communications, Inc. trades at $103.74 (market cap $31.10B). The key difference: Zoom Video Communications, Inc. is the larger of the two by market cap, and Essex Property Trust, Inc. pays a 3.93% dividend while Zoom Video Communications, Inc. pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ESS | ZM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $18.15B | $31.10B |
Sector | Real Estate | Technology |
52-Week High | $298.33 | $111.88 |
52-Week Low | $239.61 | $69.96 |
Enterprise Value | $24.75B | $23.44B |
Dividend Yield | 3.93% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
ESS trades at $282.11, down 0.39% on the day, with a bearish technical signal from moving averages and oscillators. The company reported Q2 2026 EPS of $0.97, missing expectations, but raised full-year guidance after strong property NOI growth. Revenue reached $1.89B in 2025 with a net income margin of 35.48%, though profitability is trending lower in 2026. Recent news includes ESS being named a top GreenTech company and signing a 500 MWh energy storage agreement with Juniper Energy.
The outlook is mixed: raised guidance and institutional buying support upside, but technical weakness and earnings miss pose near-term risks. Valuation ratios like P/E of 19.9 and P/S of 9.05 are reasonable for a REIT, yet debt levels and regional market volatility require caution. Analyst consensus is a Moderate Buy with a $305.86 price target, suggesting 8.4% potential upside from current levels.
Zoom Communications (ZM) trades at $107.20, up 2.58% today, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and a consensus analyst price target of $118.79. The stock shows strong profitability with a net income margin of 41.99% and ROE of 21.95%, supported by recent earnings beats. However, insider selling and mixed oscillators suggest caution amid overbought conditions.
Outlook: ZM offers growth potential with solid fundamentals and AI-driven product expansions, but risks include competitive pressures and volatile cash flows. Investors should weigh the high valuation (P/E 15.62) against earnings consistency and market sentiment shifts.
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 →Zoom Video Communications, Inc. develops a people-centric cloud service that transforms real-time collaboration experience. The Company offers unified meeting experience, a cloud service that provides a 3-in-1 meeting platform with HD video conferencing, mobility, and web meetings. Zoom Video Communications serves customers worldwide.
Read more on ZM →