Which company is larger?

Essex Property Trust is significantly larger than Elme Communities, with a much bigger portfolio and longer track record as a large-cap apartment REIT.

What are the risks of West Coast concentration for Essex?

Essex's concentration in California and Seattle exposes it to regional economic cycles, stringent rent control and tenant protection regulations, and any local oversupply, though these markets also benefit from high barriers to new construction.

Which REIT has a longer dividend growth track record?

Essex Property Trust has a notably longer and more established history of consistent annual dividend increases as a large-cap REIT sector leader.

brimindinvest.com / compare / elme-vs-essLIVE

ELME

Elme Communities · Real Estate - Apartment REIT

$2.01

+0.50% this month

VERSUS

⟷

COMPARE

ESS

Essex Property Trust, Inc. · Real Estate - Apartment REIT

$273.71

+0.40% this month

Scoreboard verdict

Across AI score, momentum, valuation, upside, operating margin

ELME

1

ESS

2

ESS LEADS 2/5

Comparison scoreboard

ESS LEADS 2/5

AI Score

ELME 25.2

ESS ✓35.0

1Y Return

ELME -16.76%

ESS ✓-3.47%

Fwd P/E

ELME N/A

ESS 47.10

Target Up.

ELME ✓+795.52%

ESS +0.97%

Op. Margin

ELME N/A

ESS 35.17%

Metrics last refreshed: 6/20/2026

Quick take

ELME vs ESS Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside

ESS is a large-cap, West Coast-focused apartment REIT with a long dividend growth track record, while ELME is a smaller apartment REIT concentrated in Washington, D.C. that is actively repositioning toward Sun Belt growth markets. Both are geographically concentrated multifamily operators but differ significantly in scale and regional focus.

ELME vs ESS contrasts a smaller, repositioning Washington, D.C.-focused apartment REIT against a large-cap, established West Coast apartment REIT with a long dividend growth history.

Live analysis · updated 6/20/2026

ESS holds the edge across 2 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. ESS has delivered stronger 1-year price return (-3.47% vs -16.76% for ELME). Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for ELME (+795.52%) than for ESS (+0.97%).

Normalized 1Y performance

ELME

ESS

Recent returns

ELME

ESS

Analyst price targets & sentiment

ELME · 1 analysts

STRONG BUYHOLDSTRONG SELL

Hold (3.0/5.0)

Price target range

analyst low$18.00
analyst high$18.00
analyst mean$18.00
current price$2.01

+795.5% upside to analyst mean

ESS

Price target range

analyst mean$286.50
current price$273.71

+1.0% upside to analyst mean

Who should consider this stock?

ELME may suit investors who:

→Want exposure to a smaller apartment REIT repositioning toward Sun Belt growth markets
→See value in Elme's stable Washington, D.C. government-driven rental base
→Are comfortable with execution risk during portfolio transition

ESS may suit investors who:

→Want exposure to a large-cap, established West Coast apartment REIT
→Value Essex's long track record of consistent dividend growth
→Are comfortable with California and Seattle regional concentration risk

Performance & AI score

Metric	ELME	ESS
AI score	25.2	35.0
AI rank	#2841	#1648
Latest close	$2.01	$273.71
1M return	+0.50%	+0.40%
6M return	-24.78%	+4.29%
1Y return	-16.76%	-3.47%

$10,000 invested — hypothetical growth (dividends reinvested)

How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?

Period	ELME	ESS
1Y ago	$56.08K (+460.8%) started 2025-06-18	$9.64K (-3.6%) started 2025-06-18
5Y ago	$156.61K (+1466.1%) started 2021-06-18	$11.85K (+18.5%) started 2021-06-21
10Y ago	$847.04K (+8370.4%) started 2016-06-20	$23.43K (+134.3%) started 2016-06-20

Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.

Valuation & upside potential

Metric	ELME	ESS
Market cap	$178.6M	$19.56B
Trailing P/E	N/A	31.95
Forward P/E	N/A	47.10
Price/Sales	0.72	N/A
EV/Revenue	3.56	12.84
Analyst target	$18.00	$286.50
Target upside	+795.52%	+0.97%

Growth, profitability & risk

Metric	ELME	ESS
Revenue growth	1.70%	6.40%
Earnings growth	N/A	-47.80%
EPS growth	N/A	-47.80%
FCF margin	N/A	+50.00%
Operating margin	N/A	35.17%
Profit margin	-74.71%	29.13%
ROIC proxy	N/A	10.56%
Return on equity	N/A	10.56%
Dividend yield	35.64%	3.65%
Beta	0.77	0.73
Debt/equity	78.05	121.86
Current ratio	N/A	0.30
Quick ratio	N/A	0.06

Drawdown & downside risk

Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.

1Y risk snapshot

ELME max drawdown37.42%

ESS max drawdown18.10%

ELME max wkly drop32.08%

ESS max wkly drop11.46%

5Y risk snapshot

ELME max drawdown49.65%

ESS max drawdown43.87%

ELME max wkly drop32.08%

ESS max wkly drop16.65%

10Y risk snapshot

ELME max drawdown54.05%

ESS max drawdown44.84%

ELME max wkly drop32.08%

ESS max wkly drop28.80%

Performance metrics by period

Period	Metric	ELME	ESS
1Y	Growth	-16.76%	-3.63%
	CAGR	-16.77%	-3.63%
	Sharpe ratio	-0.53	-0.29
	Max drawdown	37.42%	18.10%
	Max daily drop	24.66%	7.64%
	Max wkly drop	32.08%	11.46%
5Y	Growth	-31.00%	+2.13%
	CAGR	-7.15%	+0.42%
	Sharpe ratio	-0.32	-0.05
	Max drawdown	49.65%	43.87%
	Max daily drop	24.66%	7.92%
	Max wkly drop	32.08%	16.65%
10Y	Growth	-35.24%	+67.59%
	CAGR	-4.25%	+5.30%
	Sharpe ratio	-0.18	0.16
	Max drawdown	54.05%	44.84%
	Max daily drop	24.66%	18.88%
	Max wkly drop	32.08%	28.80%

Business comparison

Category	ELME	ESS
Company	Elme Communities	Essex Property Trust, Inc.
Sector	Real Estate - Apartment REIT	Real Estate
Industry	N/A	N/A
Core business	Elme Communities is a smaller apartment REIT that owns and operates multifamily residential properties concentrated in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and select Sun Belt markets.	Essex Property Trust is a large-cap apartment REIT focused on owning and operating multifamily residential properties concentrated in West Coast markets including California and Seattle.
Investor focus	Investors track Elme Communities' same-store rent growth and occupancy, portfolio repositioning toward higher-growth Sun Belt markets, and dividend coverage.	Investors track Essex's same-store rent growth and occupancy trends across its West Coast markets, supply-demand dynamics in coastal California, and dividend growth track record.

ELME strengths

→Concentrated focus on the stable, government-driven Washington, D.C. rental market
→Ongoing portfolio repositioning strategy toward higher-growth Sun Belt markets
→Smaller scale provides more room for percentage-based growth

ESS strengths

→Concentrated, deep expertise in supply-constrained West Coast coastal markets
→Strong, long track record of dividend growth as a REIT sector leader
→Large scale provides cost of capital and operational efficiency advantages

Risks to watch — ELME

→Much smaller scale than larger apartment REIT peers limits diversification and capital cost advantages
→Washington, D.C. market growth has historically been more modest than faster-growing Sun Belt metros
→Portfolio repositioning strategy carries execution and transaction cost risk

Risks to watch — ESS

→Geographic concentration in California and Seattle creates regional economic and regulatory risk
→California's rent control and tenant protection laws can limit rent growth flexibility
→Higher new apartment supply in some West Coast submarkets can pressure occupancy

Frequently asked questions

Elme Communities has been selling Washington, D.C. area properties and reinvesting proceeds into apartment communities in faster-growing Sun Belt markets, aiming to improve its long-term growth profile.

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+1.1%HOLD

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