AVB vs ESS
AvalonBay Communities and Essex Property Trust, side by side.
Prices and company dataas of yesterday's close
- ESSBuy moresales growth, past year3.5%
Essex Property Trust's sales grew 3.5% over the past year and analysts expect profit to grow 14% next year.
Percent return
- ESS+8.85%
Nov 11, 2025 to Nov 11, 2026
Where they differ
- Company size: AVB $27.1B, ESS $20.3B.
- Sales growth, 1 yr: AVB +3.6%, ESS +3.5%. AVB is ahead.
- Price for $1 of next year's profit: AVB $37, ESS $42. AVB is ahead.
- Profit per $1 of sales: AVB 29¢, ESS 34¢. ESS is ahead.
- Cash minus debt: AVB −$9.10B, ESS −$6.54B. ESS is ahead.
| Measure | AVBAvalonBay Communities | ESSEssex Property Trust |
|---|---|---|
| Price and returns | ||
| Price | $184.06 | $274.00 |
| Today | Best in this row: 0.00% | −0.63% |
| 1 month | – | +0.89% |
| 3 months | – | −2.07% |
| This year | – | +8.86% |
| 1 year | – | +8.85% |
| 5 years | – | −4.31% |
| From 52-week high | −10.1% | −7.3% |
| How much it swings (90 days) | – | 20% |
| Valuation | ||
| Market value | $27.1B | $20.3B |
| Price vs last year's earnings | Best in this row: 23.6× | 33.0× |
| Price vs next year's expected earnings | Best in this row: 37.1× | 42.3× |
| Price to sales | Best in this row: 8.6× | 9.1× |
| Price vs cash it brings in | – | 26.9× |
| Company value vs operating profit | Best in this row: 19.1× | 19.2× |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth, 1 year | Best in this row: +3.6% | +3.5% |
| Revenue growth a year, last 3 years | +4.8% | Best in this row: +5.8% |
| Earnings per share growth, last year | Best in this row: +0.2% | −14.9% |
| Earnings per share growth expected next year | – | +13.7% |
| Profitability | ||
| Kept as operating profit | 29.2% | Best in this row: 33.6% |
| Kept as final profit | Best in this row: 33.2% | 17.5% |
| Kept as spare cash | 53.7% | Best in this row: 56.0% |
| Profit on shareholders' money | Best in this row: 8.5% | 6.5% |
| Profit on all money put in | Best in this row: 4.3% | 3.4% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net cash (cash minus debt) | −$9.10B | Best in this row: −$6.54B |
| Debt for each $1 of shareholders' money | Best in this row: 0.75× | 1.21× |
| Short-term assets per $1 of bills due | 0.34× | Best in this row: 0.41× |
| Dividend yield | Best in this row: 3.87% | 3.81% |
| Share of profit paid as dividends | Best in this row: 98% | 192% |
| Our readPro | ||
| Our call | – | Buy more |
| Why | – | Essex Property Trust's sales grew 3.5% over the past year and analysts expect profit to grow 14% next year. |
| Where the price sits | – | in the full report |
| Our overall score (out of 100) | Best in this row: 47 | 42 |
| Our value score | Best in this row: 56 | 37 |
| Our growth score | Best in this row: 18 | 15 |
| Our quality score | Best in this row: 63 | 60 |
| Our price trend score | 68 | Best in this row: 68 |
| Earnings and analysts | ||
| Analyst consensus | Buy | Hold |
| To average analyst target | Best in this row: +7.8% | +7.6% |
| Average analyst target | $198.44 | $294.77 |
| Analysts rating it a buy | 25% | Best in this row: 39% |
| Buy ratings added, 3 months | Best in this row: 0 | −1 |
| Analysts covering | 0 | 14 |
ESS: our only Buy more, with wider profit margins
Our pick of these: Essex Property Trust
Keeps 33.6% of sales as operating profit, vs 29.2%
AVB 29.2%, ESS 33.6%.39% of analysts rate it a buy, vs 25%
AVB 25%, ESS 39%.Where it loses: AVB has a lower P/E per point of growth, 10.18 vs 12.27
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Prices as of Aug 17, 9:46 AM ET. A view, not advice.