Essex Announces Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2023 Results and 2024 Guidance

Rhea-AI Summary

Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ESS) announced its Q4 and full-year 2023 earnings, including a net income decline of 64.3% for Q4 and a 0.8% increase for the full year. Core FFO per diluted share grew by 1.6% for Q4 and 3.6% for the full year, exceeding guidance. Same-property revenues and NOI grew by 2.9% and 2.3% for Q4, and 4.4% and 4.3% for the full year, with Southern California and Northern California showing positive growth. The company repurchased shares and disposed of one apartment community. However, it recognized a $33.7 million impairment on a preferred equity investment in Oakland, CA.

Positive

• Core FFO per diluted share growth exceeding guidance
• Positive same-property revenues and NOI growth
• Share repurchases and disposal of one apartment community

Negative

• Net income decline of 64.3% for Q4
• Impairment of $33.7 million on a preferred equity investment

Insights

Financial Analyst

The reported financial results from Essex Property Trust, Inc. show a mixed picture. While Net Income per diluted share for the fourth quarter significantly decreased by 64.3% year-over-year, the full-year Net Income only saw a marginal increase of 0.8%. This suggests a potential concern for profitability in the short term, though the impact over the entire year was less drastic. The Core Funds from Operations (FFO), a key metric for real estate investment trusts (REITs) as it indicates the cash generated, grew by 3.6% for the year, which is positive for investors as it may translate to a stable or increasing dividend.

Moreover, the company's same-property revenue and NOI growth exceeded guidance, which is a sign of operational efficiency and could be a positive indicator for the company's stock performance. The disposal of non-core assets and the repurchase of shares, which can be seen as a move to optimize capital allocation, may also be viewed favorably by the market. However, the impairment recognized on one preferred equity investment is a negative factor that could raise concerns about the quality of investments and the potential for further impairments.

Looking at the guidance for 2024, the projected decline in Net Income could be a red flag for investors, suggesting that the company is anticipating some headwinds. The assumptions underlying the guidance, particularly in terms of economic growth and job growth in the markets where Essex operates, will be critical factors to monitor. The guidance indicates a cautious approach to acquisitions and development, which may impact growth potential but also suggests a focus on financial stability.

Market Research Analyst

Essex Property Trust operates in a highly competitive and regionally specific market, making the submarket performance critical to understanding its business dynamics. The year-over-year revenue growth in certain areas, such as San Diego and Ventura counties, outpaced other regions, which could indicate a stronger market demand or better operational management in those submarkets. This geographical performance variation is essential for potential investors to consider, as it may impact the company's resilience to market fluctuations.

The same-property portfolio's occupancy rates have remained relatively stable, which is a positive sign of demand for the company's properties. This stability, combined with the revenue growth, suggests that Essex's portfolio is well-positioned in its markets, potentially offering a degree of insulation against economic downturns.

On the investment front, Essex's strategy of engaging in preferred equity investments with a weighted average return rate of 12.6% showcases an alternative revenue stream that could be attractive to investors looking for diversified income sources within the REIT sector. However, the impairment on the Oakland investment is a reminder of the risks involved with such investments.

Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Analyst

For stakeholders in the REIT industry, the Core FFO is a more relevant performance indicator than net income, as it excludes gains or losses from property sales and depreciation, providing a clearer picture of operating performance. Essex's increase in Core FFO is indicative of solid operational performance, which is key for REIT investors concerned with dividend stability and growth.

The liquidity position of approximately $1.6 billion provides Essex with ample room to navigate market changes, fund acquisitions, or manage debt obligations. This is a critical factor for investor confidence, especially in uncertain economic times. The company's share repurchase program, which demonstrates management's belief that the stock may be undervalued, is another aspect that could influence investor sentiment.

Essex's guidance for 2024, with a Core FFO per diluted share midpoint that is flat compared to 2023, indicates management's expectation of a challenging year ahead, potentially due to economic headwinds or market saturation. This projection will be a key point of analysis for investors trying to gauge the future performance of the company in relation to the broader REIT market.

SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ESS) (the “Company”) announced today its fourth quarter and full-year 2023 earnings results and related business activities.

Net Income, Funds from Operations (“FFO”), and Core FFO per diluted share for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2023 are detailed below.

	Three Months Ended December 31,			Twelve Months Ended December 31,
			%			%
	2023	2022	Change	2023	2022	Change
Per Diluted Share
Net Income	$1.02	$2.86	-64.3%	$6.32	$6.27	0.8%
Total FFO	$3.87	$3.77	2.7%	$15.24	$13.70	11.2%
Core FFO	$3.83	$3.77	1.6%	$15.03	$14.51	3.6%

Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2023 Highlights:

• Reported Net Income per diluted share for the fourth quarter of 2023 of $1.02, compared to $2.86 in the fourth quarter of 2022. For the full-year 2023, the Company reported Net Income per diluted share of $6.32 compared to $6.27 in 2022.
• Grew Core FFO per diluted share by 1.6% compared to the fourth quarter of 2022 and 3.6% compared to the full-year 2022, exceeding the high-end of the Company’s original guidance range.
• Achieved same-property revenues and net operating income (“NOI”) growth of 2.9% and 2.3%, respectively, compared to the fourth quarter of 2022. For the full-year 2023, same-property revenues and NOI grew 4.4% and 4.3%, respectively, both exceeding the midpoint of the Company’s original guidance range.
• For the full-year 2023, the Company disposed of one apartment community in a non-core market for a total contract price of $91.7 million.
• For the full-year 2023, the Company committed $18.8 million to two preferred equity investments at a weighted average return rate of 12.6%. The Company received $72.3 million in redemption proceeds from four preferred equity investments at a weighted average return rate of 9.1%.
• For the full-year 2023, the Company repurchased 437,026 shares of its common stock, totaling $95.7 million at an average price per share of $218.88.
• As of February 2, 2024, the Company’s immediately available liquidity was approximately $1.6 billion.

Same-Property Operations

Same-property operating results exclude any properties that are not comparable for the periods presented. The table below illustrates the percentage change in same-property gross revenues for the quarter ended December 31, 2023 compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2022, and the sequential percentage change for the quarter ended December 31, 2023 compared to the quarter ended September 30, 2023, by submarket for the Company:

	Q4 2023 vs. Q4 2022	Q4 2023 vs. Q3 2023	% of Total
	Revenue Change	Revenue Change	Q4 2023 Revenues
Southern California
Los Angeles County	-0.4%	-0.6%	18.4%
Orange County	4.0%	1.8%	10.7%
San Diego County	8.2%	1.3%	9.1%
Ventura County	7.2%	1.5%	4.1%
Total Southern California	3.2%	0.6%	42.3%
Northern California
Santa Clara County	3.7%	-0.7%	19.6%
Alameda County	1.6%	-0.5%	7.7%
San Mateo County	6.1%	1.7%	4.7%
Contra Costa County	3.4%	1.6%	5.4%
San Francisco	0.0%	2.3%	2.5%
Total Northern California	3.3%	0.1%	39.9%
Seattle Metro	1.3%	0.8%	17.8%
Same-Property Portfolio	2.9%	0.5%	100.0%

The table below illustrates the components that drove the change in same-property revenues on a year-over-year basis for the three and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2023 and on a sequential basis for the three months ended December 31, 2023.

Same-Property Revenue Components	Q4 2023 vs. Q4 2022		YTD 2023 vs. YTD 2022		Q4 2023 vs. Q3 2023
Scheduled Rents		2.4%		4.4%	0.1%
Delinquencies (1)		-0.4%		-0.7%	0.5%
Cash Concessions		0.7%		0.1%	0.0%
Vacancy		0.0%		0.2%	-0.3%
Other Income		0.2%		0.4%	0.2%
2023 Same-Property Revenue Growth		2.9%		4.4%	0.5%

1. The year-over-year negative impact from delinquencies is largely due to lower net delinquency in the prior period, which benefitted from Emergency Rental Assistance payments of $2.6 million and $34.5 million in the fourth quarter and full-year 2022, respectively. This compares to Emergency Rental Assistance payments of $0.5 million and $2.6 million in the fourth quarter and full-year 2023, respectively. For additional details, please see page S-16 of the accompanying supplemental financial information.

	Year-Over-Year Change				Year-Over-Year Change
	Q4 2023 compared to Q4 2022				YTD 2023 compared to YTD 2022
	Revenues	Operating Expenses	NOI		Revenues	Operating Expenses		NOI
Southern California	3.2%	6.1%	2.1%		4.9%	6.3%	4.3%
Northern California	3.3%	5.5%	2.4%		4.0%	4.1%	4.0%
Seattle Metro	1.3%	-1.6%	2.5%		4.0%	1.4%	5.1%
Same-Property Portfolio	2.9%	4.5%	2.3%		4.4%	4.5%	4.3%

	Sequential Change
	Q4 2023 compared to Q3 2023
	Revenues	Operating Expenses	NOI
Southern California	0.6%	-1.4%	1.5%
Northern California	0.1%	-0.1%	0.3%
Seattle Metro	0.8%	-5.5%	3.5%
Same-Property Portfolio	0.5%	-1.6%	1.3%
	Financial Occupancies
	Quarter Ended
	12/31/2023	9/30/2023	12/31/2022
Southern California	95.9%	96.3%	96.4%
Northern California	96.2%	96.5%	95.8%
Seattle Metro	96.5%	96.3%	95.8%
Same-Property Portfolio	96.1%	96.4%	96.0%

Investment Activity

Other Investments

In December 2023, the Company received cash proceeds of $40.5 million from the full redemption of one preferred equity investment yielding a 9.0% rate of return.

Liquidity and Balance Sheet

Common Stock

In the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company did not issue any shares of common stock through its equity distribution program or repurchase any shares through its stock repurchase plan. For the full-year 2023, the Company repurchased 437,026 shares of its common stock totaling $95.7 million, including commissions, at an average price per share of $218.88. As of February 2, 2024, the Company had $302.7 million of purchase authority remaining under its stock repurchase plan.

Balance Sheet

In the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company recognized a $33.7 million impairment on one preferred equity investment located in Oakland, CA. The impairment does not impact Total or Core FFO. The Company stopped accruing income on the investment in the fourth quarter of 2022 and therefore did not recognize income from this investment in 2023. The investment is not currently in default.

As of February 2, 2024, the Company had approximately $1.6 billion in liquidity via undrawn capacity on its unsecured credit facilities, cash and cash equivalents, and marketable securities.

2024 Full-Year Guidance and Key Assumptions

Per Diluted Share		Range	Midpoint
Net Income		$5.05 - $5.59	$5.32
Total FFO		$14.46 - $15.00	$14.73
Core FFO		$14.76 - $15.30	$15.03
Q1 2024 Core FFO		$3.68 - $3.80	$3.74
U.S. Economic Assumptions
GDP Growth		1.30%
Job Growth		1.20%
ESS Markets Economic Assumptions
Job Growth		1.30%
Market Rent Growth		1.25%
Estimated Same-Property Portfolio Growth Based on 50,884 Apartment Homes		Range	Midpoint Cash-Basis	Midpoint GAAP-Basis
Revenues		0.70% to 2.70%	1.70%	1.80%
Operating Expenses		3.50% to 5.00%	4.25%	4.25%
Net Operating Income		-1.10% to 2.30%	0.60%	0.70%

Key Assumptions

• Acquisition and disposition activities will be influenced by market conditions and cost of capital, consistent with the Company’s historical practice of creating NAV and FFO per share.
• Structured finance redemptions are expected to be $50 - $150 million. The proceeds will be prioritized to fund future acquisitions, subject to market conditions.
• The Company has minimal development funding needs and does not currently plan to start any new developments in 2024.
• Revenue generating capital expenditures are expected to be approximately $50 million at the Company’s pro rata share.

2024 Core FFO Per Diluted Share Guidance Midpoint versus Full-Year 2023

The table below provides a summary of changes between the Company’s 2023 Core FFO per diluted share and its 2024 Core FFO per diluted share guidance midpoint.

2024 Core FFO Per Diluted Share Guidance Midpoint versus 2023		Midpoint
2023 Core FFO Per Diluted Share	$	15.03
NOI from Consolidated Communities		0.14
Consolidated Net Interest Expense		0.04
Interest and Other Income		0.02
FFO from Co-Investments, including preferred equity		(0.16)
G&A and Other		(0.04)
2024 Core FFO Per Diluted Share Guidance Midpoint	$	15.03

For additional details regarding the Company’s 2024 FFO guidance range, please see page S-14 of the supplemental financial information.

Conference Call with Management

The Company will host an earnings conference call with management to discuss its quarterly results on Wednesday, February 7, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. PT (2:00 p.m. ET), which will be broadcast live via the Internet at www.essex.com, and accessible via phone by dialing toll-free, (877) 407-0784, or toll/international, (201) 689-8560. No passcode is necessary.

A rebroadcast of the live call will be available online for 30 days and digitally for 7 days. To access the replay online, go to www.essex.com and select the fourth quarter 2023 earnings link. To access the replay, dial (844) 512-2921 using the replay pin number 13743418. If you are unable to access the information via the Company’s website, please contact the Investor Relations Department at investors@essex.com or by calling (650) 655-7800.

Corporate Profile

Essex Property Trust, Inc., an S&P 500 company, is a fully integrated real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, develops, redevelops, and manages multifamily residential properties in selected West Coast markets. Essex currently has ownership interests in 252 apartment communities comprising approximately 62,000 apartment homes with an additional property in active development. Additional information about the Company can be found on the Company’s website at www.essex.com.

This press release and accompanying supplemental financial information has been furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission electronically on Form 8-K and can be accessed from the Company’s website at www.essex.com. If you are unable to obtain the information via the Web, please contact the Investor Relations Department at (650) 655-7800.

FFO RECONCILIATION

FFO, as defined by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“NAREIT”), is generally considered by industry analysts as an appropriate measure of performance of an equity REIT. Generally, FFO adjusts the net income of equity REITs for non-cash charges such as depreciation and amortization of rental properties, impairment charges, gains on sales of real estate and extraordinary items. Management considers FFO and FFO which excludes non-core items, which is referred to as “Core FFO,” to be useful supplemental operating performance measures of an equity REIT because, together with net income and cash flows, FFO and Core FFO provide investors with additional bases to evaluate the operating performance and ability of a REIT to incur and service debt and to fund acquisitions and other capital expenditures and to pay dividends. By excluding gains or losses related to sales of depreciated operating properties and land and excluding real estate depreciation (which can vary among owners of identical assets in similar condition based on historical cost accounting and useful life estimates), FFO can help investors compare the operating performance of a real estate company between periods or as compared to different companies. By further adjusting for items that are not considered part of the Company’s core business operations, Core FFO allows investors to compare the core operating performance of the Company to its performance in prior reporting periods and to the operating performance of other real estate companies without the effect of items that by their nature are not comparable from period to period and tend to obscure the Company’s actual operating results. FFO and Core FFO do not represent net income or cash flows from operations as defined by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and are not intended to indicate whether cash flows will be sufficient to fund cash needs. These measures should not be considered as alternatives to net income as an indicator of the REIT's operating performance or to cash flows as a measure of liquidity. FFO and Core FFO do not measure whether cash flow is sufficient to fund all cash needs including principal amortization, capital improvements and distributions to stockholders. FFO and Core FFO also do not represent cash flows generated from operating, investing or financing activities as defined under GAAP. Management has consistently applied the NAREIT definition of FFO to all periods presented. However, there is judgment involved and other REITs’ calculation of FFO may vary from the NAREIT definition for this measure, and thus their disclosures of FFO may not be comparable to the Company’s calculation.

The following table sets forth the Company’s calculation of diluted FFO and Core FFO for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 (in thousands, except for share and per share amounts):

		Three Months Ended December 31,								Twelve Months Ended December 31,
Funds from Operations attributable to common stockholders and unitholders		2023				2022				2023				2022
Net income available to common stockholders	$	65,391			$	185,165			$	405,825			$	408,315
Adjustments:
Depreciation and amortization		138,016				135,758				548,438				539,319
Gains not included in FFO		-				(94,416	)			(59,238	)			(111,839	)
Casualty loss		-				-				433				-
Impairment loss from unconsolidated co-investments		33,700				2,105				33,700				2,105
Depreciation and amortization from unconsolidated co-investments		18,259				18,053				71,745				72,585
Noncontrolling interest related to Operating Partnership units		2,302				6,497				14,284				14,297
Depreciation attributable to third party ownership and other		(379	)			(357	)			(1,474	)			(1,421	)
Funds from Operations attributable to common stockholders and unitholders	$	257,289			$	252,805			$	1,013,713			$	923,361
FFO per share – diluted	$	3.87			$	3.77			$	15.24			$	13.70
Expensed acquisition and investment related costs	$	220			$	1,884			$	595			$	2,132
Tax (benefit) expense on unconsolidated co-investments (1)		(540	)			(2,373	)			697				(10,236	)
Realized and unrealized (gains) losses on marketable securities, net		(5,712	)			(5,579	)			(10,006	)			45,547
Provision for credit losses		19				(317	)			70				(381	)
Equity (income) loss from non-core co-investments (2)		(263	)			6,928				(1,685	)			38,045
Loss on early retirement of debt, net		-				-				-				2
Loss on early retirement of debt from unconsolidated co-investment		-				-				-				988
Co-investment promote income		-				-				-				(17,076	)
Income from early redemption of preferred equity investments and notes receivable		-				(811	)			(285	)			(1,669	)
General and administrative and other, net		4,059				209				6,629				2,536
Insurance reimbursements, legal settlements, and other, net		(739	)			(315	)			(9,821	)			(5,392	)
Core Funds from Operations attributable to common stockholders and unitholders	$	254,333			$	252,431			$	999,907			$	977,857
Core FFO per share – diluted	$	3.83			$	3.77			$	15.03			$	14.51
Weighted average number of shares outstanding diluted (3)		66,447,394				67,003,718				66,514,456				67,374,526

1. Represents tax related to net unrealized gains or losses on technology co-investments.
2. Represents the Company's share of co-investment income or loss from technology co-investments.
3. Assumes conversion of all outstanding limited partnership units in Essex Portfolio, L.P. (the “Operating Partnership”) into shares of the Company’s common stock and excludes DownREIT limited partnership units.

Net Operating Income (“NOI”) and Same-Property NOI Reconciliations

NOI and same-property NOI are considered by management to be important supplemental performance measures to earnings from operations included in the Company’s consolidated statements of income. The presentation of same-property NOI assists with the presentation of the Company’s operations prior to the allocation of depreciation and any corporate-level or financing-related costs. NOI reflects the operating performance of a community and allows for an easy comparison of the operating performance of individual communities or groups of communities. In addition, because prospective buyers of real estate have different financing and overhead structures, with varying marginal impacts to overhead by acquiring real estate, NOI is considered by many in the real estate industry to be a useful measure for determining the value of a real estate asset or group of assets. The Company defines same-property NOI as same-property revenues less same-property operating expenses, including property taxes. Please see the reconciliation of earnings from operations to NOI and same-property NOI, which in the table below is the NOI for stabilized properties consolidated by the Company for the periods presented (dollars in thousands):

		Three Months Ended								Twelve Months Ended
		December 31,								December 31,
		2023				2022				2023				2022
Earnings from operations	$	130,341			$	228,143			$	584,342			$	595,229
Adjustments:
Corporate-level property management expenses		11,485				10,172				45,872				40,704
Depreciation and amortization		138,016				135,758				548,438				539,319
Management and other fees from affiliates		(2,803	)			(2,826	)			(11,131	)			(11,139	)
General and administrative		19,739				16,036				63,474				56,577
Expensed acquisition and investment related costs		220				1,884				595				2,132
Casualty loss		-				-				433				-
Gain on sale of real estate and land		-				(94,416	)			(59,238	)			(94,416	)
NOI		296,998				294,751				1,172,785				1,128,406
Less: Non-same property NOI		(13,261	)			(17,303	)			(54,179	)			(56,058	)
Same-Property NOI	$	283,737			$	277,448			$	1,118,606			$	1,072,348

Safe Harbor Statement Under The Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995:

This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are statements which are not historical facts, including statements regarding the Company's expectations, estimates, assumptions, hopes, intentions, beliefs and strategies regarding the future. Words such as “expects,” “assumes,” “anticipates,” “may,” “will,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “believes,” “seeks,” “future,” “estimates,” and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding the Company’s expectations related to the continued evolution of the work-from-home trend, the Company’s intent, beliefs or expectations with respect to the timing of completion of current development and redevelopment projects and the stabilization of such projects, the timing of lease-up and occupancy of its apartment communities, the anticipated operating performance of its apartment communities, the total projected costs of development and redevelopment projects, co-investment activities, qualification as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, the Company’s first quarter and full-year 2024 guidance (including net income, Total FFO and Core FFO and related assumptions, including with respect to GDP growth, job growth and market rent growth), 2024 same-property revenue, operating expenses and net operating income generally and in specific regions, the real estate markets in the geographies in which the Company’s properties are located and in the United States in general, the adequacy of future cash flows to meet anticipated cash needs, its financing activities and the use of proceeds from such activities, the availability of debt and equity financing, general economic conditions including the potential impacts from such economic conditions, inflation, the labor market, supply chain impacts, geopolitical tensions and regional conflicts, trends affecting the Company’s financial condition or results of operations, changes to U.S. tax laws and regulations in general or specifically related to REITs or real estate, changes to laws and regulations in jurisdictions in which communities the Company owns are located, and other information that is not historical information. While the Company's management believes the assumptions underlying its forward-looking statements are reasonable, such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the Company’s control, which could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company cannot assure the future results or outcome of the matters described in these statements; rather, these statements merely reflect the Company’s current expectations of the approximate outcomes of the matters discussed. Factors that might cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the following: potential future outbreaks of infectious diseases or other health concerns, which could adversely affect the Company’s business and its tenants, and cause a significant downturn in general economic conditions, the real estate industry, and the markets in which the Company's communities are located; the Company may fail to achieve its business objectives; the actual completion of development and redevelopment projects may be subject to delays; the stabilization dates of such projects may be delayed; the Company may abandon or defer development or redevelopment projects for a number of reasons, including changes in local market conditions which make development less desirable, increases in costs of development, increases in the cost of capital or lack of capital availability, resulting in losses; the total projected costs of current development and redevelopment projects may exceed expectations; such development and redevelopment projects may not be completed; development and redevelopment projects and acquisitions may fail to meet expectations; estimates of future income from an acquired property may prove to be inaccurate; occupancy rates and rental demand may be adversely affected by competition and local economic and market conditions; there may be increased interest rates, inflation, escalated operating costs and possible recessionary impacts; geopolitical tensions and regional conflicts, and the related impacts on macroeconomic conditions, including, among other things, interest rates and inflation; the Company may be unsuccessful in the management of its relationships with its co-investment partners; future cash flows may be inadequate to meet operating requirements and/or may be insufficient to provide for dividend payments in accordance with REIT requirements; changes in laws or regulations; the terms of any refinancing may not be as favorable as the terms of existing indebtedness; unexpected difficulties in leasing of development projects; volatility in financial and securities markets; the Company’s failure to successfully operate acquired properties; unforeseen consequences from cyber-intrusion; the Company’s inability to maintain our investment grade credit rating with the rating agencies; government approvals, actions and initiatives, including the need for compliance with environmental requirements; and those further risks, special considerations, and other factors referred to in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and those risk factors and special considerations set forth in the Company's other filings with the SEC which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof, the Company assumes no obligation to update or supplement this information for any reason, and therefore, they may not represent the Company’s estimates and assumptions after the date of this press release.

Definitions and Reconciliations

Non-GAAP financial measures and certain other capitalized terms, as used in this earnings release, are defined and further explained on pages S-18.1 through S-18.4, "Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Other Terms," of the accompanying supplemental financial information. The supplemental financial information is available on the Company's website at www.essex.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240206039162/en/

Loren Rainey

Director, Investor Relations

(650) 655-7800

lrainey@essex.com

Source: Essex Property Trust, Inc.

FAQ

What is the ticker symbol for Essex Property Trust, Inc.?

The ticker symbol for Essex Property Trust, Inc. is ESS.

What was the net income decline for Q4 2023 compared to Q4 2022?

The net income declined by 64.3% for Q4 2023 compared to Q4 2022.

What was the total FFO for the full-year 2023?

The total FFO for the full-year 2023 was $15.24, showing an 11.2% increase from 2022.

What was the company's liquidity as of February 2, 2024?

The company's immediately available liquidity was approximately $1.6 billion as of February 2, 2024.

What was the year-over-year growth in same-property revenues and NOI for Q4 2023?

The same-property revenues and NOI grew by 2.9% and 2.3% for Q4 2023, respectively.

What investment activity did the company engage in during December 2023?

In December 2023, the company received cash proceeds of $40.5 million from the full redemption of one preferred equity investment yielding a 9.0% rate of return.

What was the company's full-year guidance for Core FFO per diluted share in 2024?

The company's full-year guidance for Core FFO per diluted share in 2024 was in the range of $14.76 to $15.30, with a midpoint of $15.03.