ESS vs. SUI: Essex Property Trust vs. Sun Communities Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Essex Property Trust (ESS) and Sun Communities (SUI) both belong to the Residential REITs industry, though ESS is classified under Multi-Family Residential REITs while SUI falls under Single-Family Residential REITs.

Both Essex Property Trust (ESS) and Sun Communities (SUI) 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 Essex Property Trust (ESS) at 6.52% and Sun Communities (SUI) at 4.89% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Neither Essex Property Trust (ESS) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) nor Sun Communities (SUI) 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 Essex Property Trust (ESS) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Sun Communities (SUI) 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 Essex Property Trust (ESS) at 6.36% and Sun Communities (SUI) at 0.77% 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 Essex Property Trust (ESS) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) or Sun Communities (SUI) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) under our convention.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Sun Communities (SUI) at 3.07 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Essex Property Trust (ESS) at 0.41 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

Sun Communities (SUI) at 0.72 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 Essex Property Trust (ESS) at 3.81% and Sun Communities (SUI) at 3.60% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

An earnings-based payout ratio fits neither Essex Property Trust (ESS) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) nor Sun Communities (SUI) 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 Essex Property Trust (ESS) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) or Sun Communities (SUI) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs): depreciation suppresses reported earnings in their businesses, and price-to-FFO is the conventional yardstick instead.

Sun Communities (SUI) at 6.39 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.

Both Essex Property Trust (ESS) at 3.30 and Sun Communities (SUI) at 2.76 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

Valuation Metrics