ALX vs MAA vs ESBA Stock Comparison

Alexanders, Mid America Apartment Communities and Empire State Realty OP Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ALX Alexanders Inc
$248.95 +0.5% 1M +5.2% 1Y
Market cap
$1.27B
P/E
7.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$214.80M
Div. yield
7.23%
Office REITs Real Estate
6 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Alexanders leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Alexanders 6, Mid America Apartment Communities 5, Empire State Realty OP 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionALXMAAESBALeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $1.27B $13.78B $1.31B MAA
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 7.5x 34.5x 259.5x ALX
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 29.5x 33.3x — ALX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -1.5% +0.8% +2.0% ESBA
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 79.1% 18.0% 0.6% ALX
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 5.3% -1.1% MAA
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 4.5x 5.0x MAA
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 7.23% 5.15% 3.28% ALX
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +5.2% -10.7% -36.1% ALX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -2.5%/yr -10.5%/yr -13.2%/yr ALX
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 27.9% 19.8% 51.7% MAA
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 36/100 51/100 33/100 MAA

Percentile Scorecard

ALXMAAESBA

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisALXMAAESBA
Valuation 33 #98 of 145 45 #80 of 145 69 #46 of 145
Growth 33 #95 of 141 15 #120 of 141 2 #138 of 141
Profitability 46 #73 of 134 87 #18 of 134 27 #98 of 134
Financial Health 10 #125 of 138 60 #56 of 138 57 #60 of 138
Shareholder Returns 59 #55 of 131 46 #71 of 131 12 #116 of 131
Overall 36 51 33
  • ALX ranked among 149 companies in Property REITs
  • MAA ranked among 149 companies in Property REITs
  • ESBA ranked among 149 companies in Property REITs

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodALXMAAESBASPY
1 month +0.5%+0.3%+22.0% -0.2%
3 months -7.4%-12.5%-12.9% +3.9%
6 months -0.1%-8.9%-14.1% +8.2%
Year to date +14.2%-14.5%-22.5% +12.9%
1 year +5.2%-10.7%-36.1% +12.3%
3 years +38.9%+1.0%-38.1% +87.4%
3 years, per year +11.6%+0.3%-14.8% +23.3%
5 years -11.9%-42.4%-50.6% +67.9%
5 years, per year -2.5%-10.5%-13.2% +10.9%
10 years -35.1%+32.0%-74.7% +261.1%
10 years, per year -4.2%+2.8%-12.9% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureALXMAAESBASPY
Volatility, 1Y 27.9%19.8%51.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 30.4%19.2%61.1% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.230.050.42 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.19-0.54-0.70 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -44.5%-50.2%-66.4% -25.4%
From 52-week high -13.1%-16.5%-37.0% -1.2%
52-week high $286.59$142.19$7.75 $779.14
52-week low $205.15$114.20$3.85 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleALXMAAESBA
P/E now vs peer median 7.5xmedian 26.3x 34.5xmedian 26.3x 259.5xmedian 26.3x
P/S now vs peer median 5.9xmedian 4.0x 6.2xmedian 4.0x 1.7xmedian 4.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median —median 14.4x 15.3xmedian 14.4x 12.6xmedian 14.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 87.5xmedian 23.3x 29.1xmedian 23.3x -3.0xmedian 23.3x
P/B now vs peer median 5.7xmedian 1.3x 2.5xmedian 1.3x 0.7xmedian 1.3x
PEG now vs peer median 0.42median 1.91 -2.82median 1.91 -4.34median 1.91

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsALXMAAESBA
Revenue $214.80M $2.22B $784.18M
Operating income – – -$34.52M
Net income $169.82M $410.71M $9.26M
Free cash flow $14.53M $473.83M -$437.31M
EPS (diluted) $33.05 $3.44 $0.02
Cash & equivalents $303.31M $51.84M $85.61M
Total debt $3.48B $21.95B $4.54B
Shares (diluted) 5.14M 116.14M 268.95M
Enterprise value $477.60M $13.70B $871.27M

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricALXMAAESBA
P/E 7.5x 34.5x 259.5x
P/FCF 87.5x 29.1x -3.0x
P/Operating cash flow 46.8x 13.6x 5.8x
P/S 5.9x 6.2x 1.7x
P/B 5.7x 2.5x 0.7x
P/Tangible book 5.7x 2.5x 0.7x
EV/EBITDA – 15.3x 12.6x
EV/EBIT – 31.4x -63.2x
EV/Revenue 8.4x 8.8x 2.8x
EV/FCF 124.1x 41.0x -5.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 66.4x 19.2x 9.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.42 -2.82 -4.34

Growth

14 metrics
MetricALXMAAESBA
Revenue growth (1Y) -1.5% 0.8% 2.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 0.2% 1.6% 2.9%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – – –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – – –
Operating income growth (1Y) – – -123.1%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) – – -31.0%
Net income growth (1Y) 354.2% -30.0% -86.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 17.9% -12.5% -51.3%
EPS growth (1Y) 354.0% -29.0% -92.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 17.8% -12.2% -59.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -68.1% -8.0% -13.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -28.8% -4.2% -0.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -74.4% -12.0% -169.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -38.2% -4.5% -149.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricALXMAAESBA
Gross margin – – –
EBITDA margin – 57.1% 22.1%
Operating margin – – -4.4%
Pretax margin – 18.8% 1.3%
Net margin 79.1% 18.0% 0.6%
FCF margin 6.8% 21.4% -55.8%
Operating cash flow margin 12.6% 45.6% 29.0%
Return on equity – 7.3% 0.5%
Return on assets – 3.4% 0.2%
Return on invested capital – 5.3% -1.1%
Return on capital employed – – –
Asset turnover 0.2x 0.2x 0.2x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.2x 2.5x 24.6x
Stock comp / revenue – 0.9% 3.9%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricALXMAAESBA
Debt / assets 69.4% 47.5% 22.4%
Debt / equity 3.7x 1.0x 0.5x
Net debt / EBITDA – 4.5x 5.0x
Debt / FCF 57.4x 12.0x -2.2x
Liabilities / assets 81.4% 53.5% 58.1%
Equity / assets 18.6% 46.5% 41.9%
Interest coverage – 3.1x -0.3x
Current ratio – – –
Quick ratio – – –
Cash ratio – – –
Altman Z-score – – –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricALXMAAESBA
Dividend yield 7.2% 5.2% 3.3%
Net buyback yield – 0.9% –
Shareholder yield 7.2% 6.0% 3.3%
Payout ratio (earnings) 54.4% 173.3% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 636.3% 150.2% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 0.0% 2.0% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 0.1% 5.1% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusALXMAAESBA
Forward P/E 29.5xFY2027 33.3xFY2026 –
EPS, next fiscal year $8.44FY2027 $3.57FY2026 –
EPS growth, next FY -31.2%FY2027 -5.6%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after – -9.0% –
Revenue, next fiscal year $259.67MFY2026 $2.29BFY2026 –
Revenue growth, next FY +21.8%FY2026 +3.8%FY2026 –
Revenue growth, the year after -8.1% +1.5% –

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersALXMAAESBA
Held by institutions 38.9% 97.1% –
Institutions holding 153 771 –
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.7% +8.2% –
Institutions buying 71 395 –
Institutions selling 50 262 –
Buyers to sellers 1.42 1.51 –

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

ALXMAAESBA
ALX 1.00 0.33 0.21
MAA 0.33 1.00 0.18
ESBA 0.21 0.18 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ALX, MAA and ESBA?

Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) is the largest by market capitalisation: Alexanders (ALX) $1.27B, Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) $13.78B, Empire State Realty OP (ESBA) $1.31B.

Which stock is cheaper, ALX, MAA and ESBA?

Alexanders (ALX) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Alexanders (ALX) 7.5x, Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) 34.5x, Empire State Realty OP (ESBA) 259.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Alexanders (ALX) is cheapest (Alexanders (ALX) 29.5x, Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) 33.3x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Empire State Realty OP (ESBA) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Alexanders (ALX) -1.5%, Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) +0.8%, Empire State Realty OP (ESBA) +2.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Alexanders (ALX) has the highest net margin (Alexanders (ALX) 79.1%, Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) 18.0%, Empire State Realty OP (ESBA) 0.6%). On return on invested capital, Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) leads (Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) 5.3%, Empire State Realty OP (ESBA) -1.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Alexanders (ALX) returned the most: Alexanders (ALX) +5.2%, Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) -10.7%, Empire State Realty OP (ESBA) -36.1%. Over five years, Alexanders (ALX) compounded fastest (Alexanders (ALX) -2.5%/yr, Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) -10.5%/yr, Empire State Realty OP (ESBA) -13.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Alexanders (ALX) has the highest dividend yield: Alexanders (ALX) 7.23%, Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) 5.15%, Empire State Realty OP (ESBA) 3.28%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) has been the steadiest (Alexanders (ALX) 27.9%, Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) 19.8%, Empire State Realty OP (ESBA) 51.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ALX, MAA and ESBA?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Alexanders (ALX) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.