EGP vs. ESS: EastGroup Properties vs. Essex Property Trust Stock Comparison

Company Profile

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

Both EastGroup Properties (EGP) 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 EastGroup Properties (EGP) at 8.93% 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 EastGroup Properties (EGP) 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 EastGroup Properties (EGP) 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

EastGroup Properties (EGP) at 12.67% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Essex Property Trust (ESS) at 6.36% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for EGP.

EPS growth isn't a meaningful figure for either EastGroup Properties (EGP) 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

EastGroup Properties (EGP) at 0.62 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.

EastGroup Properties (EGP) at 0.52 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Essex Property Trust (ESS) at 1.21 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Both EastGroup Properties (EGP) at 3.30% and Essex Property Trust (ESS) at 3.81% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

An earnings-based payout ratio fits neither EastGroup Properties (EGP) 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 EastGroup Properties (EGP) 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.

Both EastGroup Properties (EGP) at 13.56 and Essex Property Trust (ESS) at 9.48 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

Both EastGroup Properties (EGP) at 2.91 and Essex Property Trust (ESS) at 3.30 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

Valuation Metrics