Essex (ESS) Q2 Revenue Rises 6%

Key Points

• Core Funds From Operations per share reached $4.03, exceeding guidance and rising 2.3% year over year.

• Revenue increased 6.3% year over year to $467.6 million, surpassing the consensus estimate.

• Full-year 2025 Core FFO guidance was raised following higher same-property revenue growth and favorable property taxes.

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Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS), a residential real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on West Coast apartment communities, released its second-quarter 2025 results on July 29, 2025. The company reported Core Funds From Operations (FFO) per diluted share of $4.03, surpassing its own $3.96 midpoint forecast. Revenue climbed to $467.6 million, exceeding the expected $466.33 million. Net income per share (GAAP) more than doubled year-over-year, aided by real estate gains. The quarter showed steady execution in stabilized, supply-constrained markets, though performance varied by region and the full-year outlook saw only a moderate upward revision.

Source: Analyst estimates provided by FactSet. Management expectations based on management's guidance, as provided in Q1 2025 earnings report.

Company Profile and Key Business Focus

Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) operates as a vertically integrated REIT that acquires, develops, redevelops, and manages apartment homes. Its portfolio centers on major metropolitan areas across Northern and Southern California, as well as the Seattle metro region. The company focuses on markets with high barriers to new housing supply, supporting consistent demand.

The heart of its strategy is steady investment in supply-constrained areas where job growth, high incomes, and lifestyle factors boost rental demand. Recent company efforts have sharpened capital recycling, moving investments from slower-growth submarkets to regions projected to deliver more robust rent growth. Financial discipline, measured expansion, and careful risk management form key success factors for ongoing performance.

Second Quarter 2025 Highlights and Performance Drivers

Essex delivered a 2.3% year-over-year increase in Core FFO per share, exceeding its own guidance by $0.07. Revenue grew 6.2% compared to the prior year. Net income per share (GAAP) jumped 137.2%, largely due to a $126.2 million gain from the sale of a Southern California property. Same-property revenue, which measures growth from apartments owned at least one year, increased 3.2%. Net operating income (NOI) was up 3.3% year-over-year.

Focusing on portfolio realignment, the company acquired two apartment communities in Santa Clara County for $240.5 million and sold a community in Southern California for $239.6 million. Management cited ongoing strength in Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Francisco, and Seattle, while Los Angeles continued to underperform with softer employment indicators and delayed job recovery in key industries like film.

Financially, Essex obtained a $300.0 million unsecured term loan at a floating interest rate, expanded its credit facility to $1.5 billion with extended maturity, and started a $750.0 million commercial paper program, underscoring its focus on liquidity and flexibility. At quarter’s end, total available liquidity was about $1.5 billion, and the company's net indebtedness to adjusted EBITDAre stood at 5.5 times. Credit ratings remained in investment-grade ranges from Moody’s and S&P.

Same-property expense growth came in at 2.9% year over year, below management’s original 3.25–4.25% guidance, benefiting from lower property taxes in Seattle. Essex revised its annual same-property operating expense growth outlook downward for 2025, reflecting this recent moderation. Portfolio occupancy held steady at 96.2%, and overall delinquency improved to 0.5%, nearing the long-term average. Blended rent growth reached 3.0% year over year, led by renewal increases averaging 4.2% and modest gains on new leases.

Operational Details and Regional Insights

The company's results varied across its three main regions. Northern California led with 3.4% same-property revenue growth, as San Francisco rose 6.5% and Santa Clara and San Mateo posted similarly strong figures. Seattle grew revenue by 2.8%, with operating expenses falling 9.2% year over year. Southern California lagged, with Los Angeles posting 2.8% same-property revenue growth.

Turnover for the period remained at the lower end of the company’s historical range. Delinquency dropped sharply from 1.0% in Q2 2024, continuing the normalization trend since the pandemic. Regional performance supported management’s strategy of shifting investment from Southern to Northern California, where recovery and rent growth prospects offer a more compelling outlook.

Essex kept its property development pipeline modest, with just one major project underway in South San Francisco. A new joint venture with the Wisconsin Investment Board focused on structured finance investments was initiated, broadening the company's capital allocation approach. No significant environmental or legal issues were disclosed for the quarter.

Outlook and Forward Guidance

Management increased its guidance for full-year 2025 Core FFO (non-GAAP) per share to a range of $15.80–$16.02, raising the midpoint by $0.10, and raised the full-year 2025 net income outlook by $0.73 to a range of $10.05–$10.29. Same-property revenue and NOI growth guidance midpoints were also nudged upward for full-year 2025, following the strong showing in Q2 and the benefit of one-time property tax reductions. Sequentially, Q3 2025 Core FFO guidance midpoint is $3.94 per share, slightly below Q2, reflecting normal seasonal expense increases and lower expected structured finance gains.

Revenue and net income presented using U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) unless otherwise noted.

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