DOC vs. ESS: Healthpeak Properties vs. Essex Property Trust Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Healthpeak Properties (DOC) and Essex Property Trust (ESS) both fall under the Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group, but DOC is classified in Health Care REITs while ESS is classified in Residential REITs.

Both Healthpeak Properties (DOC) and Essex Property Trust (ESS) are REITs — read their payout ratios and P/E alongside FFO (funds from operations) rather than at face value.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Both Healthpeak Properties (DOC) at 4.42% and Essex Property Trust (ESS) at 6.52% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Neither Healthpeak Properties (DOC) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) nor Essex Property Trust (ESS) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) is well served by net margin: heavy depreciation makes net income a poor profitability proxy in their businesses, where FFO-based measures are the standard read.

Neither side reports a meaningful operating margin: for Healthpeak Properties (DOC) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Essex Property Trust (ESS) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), funding costs are part of the core business, so net margin and ROE are the cleaner profitability reads.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Both Healthpeak Properties (DOC) at 4.52% and Essex Property Trust (ESS) at 6.36% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

EPS growth isn't a meaningful figure for either Healthpeak Properties (DOC) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) or Essex Property Trust (ESS) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) under our convention.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Healthpeak Properties (DOC) at 1.48 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Essex Property Trust (ESS) at 0.41 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for ESS.

Both Healthpeak Properties (DOC) at 0.90 and Essex Property Trust (ESS) at 1.21 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Healthpeak Properties (DOC) at 6.06% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Essex Property Trust (ESS) at 3.81% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, DOC the richer one.

An earnings-based payout ratio fits neither Healthpeak Properties (DOC) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) nor Essex Property Trust (ESS) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs): their distributions are mandated and conventionally measured against FFO, so the accounting-earnings ratio overstates both.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

P/E ratio is not a meaningful valuation yardstick for either Healthpeak Properties (DOC) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) or Essex Property Trust (ESS) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs): depreciation suppresses reported earnings in their businesses, and price-to-FFO is the conventional yardstick instead.

Healthpeak Properties (DOC) at 4.80 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Essex Property Trust (ESS) at 9.48 sits in the pricier quartile — ESS costs more per dollar of sales.

Healthpeak Properties (DOC) at 1.78 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Essex Property Trust (ESS) at 3.30 carries an above-peer premium to book — ESS is pricier on assets.

Valuation Metrics