ELS vs AMH vs ESS Stock Comparison

Equity Lifestyle Properties, American Homes 4 Rent and Essex Property Trust Prices as of Nov 4, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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AMH American Homes 4 Rent
$32.64 +8.5% 1M +1.4% 1Y
Market cap
$11.72B
P/E
25.3x
Revenue (TTM)
—
Div. yield
3.95%
Residential REITs Real Estate
4 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

American Homes 4 Rent leads on 4 of the 12 questions below (American Homes 4 Rent 4, Equity Lifestyle Properties 4, Essex Property Trust 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionELSAMHESSLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $12.13B $11.72B $17.47B ESS
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 31.0x 25.3x 50.3x AMH
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 29.6x 30.8x 52.1x ELS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +3.2% — +4.5% ESS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 24.8% — 17.8% ELS
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 7.8% — — –
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 5.2x — 5.5x ELS
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 3.42% 3.95% 3.81% AMH
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +3.1% +1.4% +5.9% ESS
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -5.9%/yr -3.9%/yr -4.2%/yr AMH
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 19.1% 20.4% 20.4% ELS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 50/100 62/100 46/100 AMH

Percentile Scorecard

ELSAMHESS

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

AxisELSAMHESS
Valuation 13 #127 of 146 52 #71 of 146 18 #120 of 146
Growth 47 #77 of 145 60 #58 of 145 31 #100 of 145
Profitability 92 #12 of 141 66 #48 of 141 87 #19 of 141
Financial Health 38 #91 of 146 61 #57 of 146 51 #72 of 146
Shareholder Returns 58 #58 of 136 70 #42 of 136 43 #78 of 136
Overall 50 62 46
  • ELS ranked among 149 companies in Property REITs
  • AMH ranked among 149 companies in Property REITs
  • ESS ranked among 149 companies in Property REITs

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodELSAMHESSSPY
1 month +6.8%+8.5%-0.2% -1.0%
3 months -3.9%-5.6%-5.7% -0.4%
6 months -1.3%+0.6%+1.6% +4.5%
Year to date +3.1%+1.7%+3.8% +12.4%
1 year +3.1%+1.4%+5.9% +13.6%
3 years -7.9%-7.8%+25.0% +76.4%
3 years, per year -2.7%-2.7%+7.7% +20.8%
5 years -26.3%-18.1%-19.4% +63.7%
5 years, per year -5.9%-3.9%-4.2% +10.4%
10 years +73.5%+53.6%+23.4% +267.7%
10 years, per year +5.7%+4.4%+2.1% +13.9%

Risk

MeasureELSAMHESSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 19.1%20.4%20.4% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 18.2%19.1%22.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.180.050.14 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.160.070.29 1.06
Max drawdown, 5Y -34.2%-37.2%-45.4% -25.4%
From 52-week high -8.6%-6.2%-9.0% -1.6%
52-week high $68.37$34.81$298.33 $779.14
52-week low $57.64$27.38$239.61 $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.

MultipleELSAMHESS
P/E now vs peer median 31.0xmedian 26.6x 25.3xmedian 26.6x 50.3xmedian 26.6x
P/S now vs peer median 7.7xmedian 4.3x —median 4.3x 9.0xmedian 4.3x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 24.2xmedian 14.7x —median 14.7x 20.0xmedian 14.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 32.7xmedian 22.1x 1,130xmedian 22.1x 25.9xmedian 22.1x
P/B now vs peer median 6.7xmedian 1.3x 1.6xmedian 1.3x 3.2xmedian 1.3x
PEG now vs peer median 3.47median 2.01 2.61median 2.01 -3.88median 2.01

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 monthsELSAMHESS
Revenue $1.58B – $1.95B
Gross profit $1.44B – –
Operating income $412.54M – $573.46M
Net income $404.07M $542.82M $368.62M
Free cash flow $370.75M $10.37M $673.94M
EPS (diluted) $1.95 $1.29 $5.40
Cash & equivalents $24.33M $83.67M $72.06M
Total debt $3.31B $5.13B $6.61B
Shares (diluted) 200.25M 360.81M 64.31M
Enterprise value $12.06B $12.09B $17.39B

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
MetricELSAMHESS
P/E 31.0x 25.3x 50.3x
P/FCF 32.7x 1,130x 25.9x
P/Operating cash flow 20.4x 13.6x 15.8x
P/S 7.7x – 9.0x
P/B 6.7x 1.6x 3.2x
P/Tangible book 6.7x 1.6x 3.2x
EV/EBITDA 24.2x – 20.0x
EV/EBIT 37.4x – 41.9x
EV/Revenue 9.8x – 12.3x
EV/FCF 41.6x 1,617x 35.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 26.0x 19.4x 21.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 3.47 2.61 -3.88

Growth

14 metrics
MetricELSAMHESS
Revenue growth (1Y) 3.2% – 4.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 2.4% – 5.4%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 3.4% – –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 3.9% – –
Operating income growth (1Y) 4.9% – -45.5%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 16.4% – -5.6%
Net income growth (1Y) 1.3% 12.2% -59.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 9.2% 9.1% -12.7%
EPS growth (1Y) 2.3% 15.9% -58.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 8.9% 9.7% -13.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 2.8% 4.1% 4.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 6.6% 7.2% 5.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 11.0% 101.6% 568.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 22.6% 26.4% 0.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricELSAMHESS
Gross margin 91.0% – –
EBITDA margin 40.3% – 61.6%
Operating margin 26.1% – 29.5%
Pretax margin 18.3% – 16.0%
Net margin 24.8% – 17.8%
FCF margin 23.5% – 34.6%
Operating cash flow margin 37.6% – 57.0%
Return on equity 22.3% 7.2% 6.7%
Return on assets 7.0% 4.1% 2.9%
Return on invested capital 7.8% – –
Return on capital employed – – –
Asset turnover 0.3x – 0.2x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.5x 1.6x 3.0x
Stock comp / revenue 0.4% – 0.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricELSAMHESS
Debt / assets 57.4% 39.1% 51.5%
Debt / equity 1.8x 0.7x 1.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 5.2x – 5.5x
Debt / FCF 8.9x 494.5x 9.8x
Liabilities / assets 68.7% 43.0% 57.4%
Equity / assets 31.3% 57.0% 42.6%
Interest coverage 3.0x – 2.2x
Current ratio – – –
Quick ratio – – –
Cash ratio – – –
Altman Z-score – – –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricELSAMHESS
Dividend yield 3.4% 4.0% 3.8%
Net buyback yield 0.0% 2.0% 0.2%
Shareholder yield 3.4% 5.9% 4.0%
Payout ratio (earnings) 101.5% 85.3% 180.2%
Payout ratio (FCF) 110.6% 4,462% 98.6%
Dividend growth (1Y) 8.7% 11.3% 2.8%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 8.7% 17.4% 4.6%

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.

ConsensusELSAMHESS
Forward P/E 29.6xFY2026 30.8xFY2026 52.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $2.11FY2026 $1.06FY2026 $5.21FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +5.0%FY2026 -10.2%FY2026 -49.9%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +9.0% -18.9% +29.6%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.52BFY2026 $2.04BFY2026 $2.05BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -0.6%FY2026 +10.0%FY2026 +9.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +14.4% -0.6% -7.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersELSAMHESS
Held by institutions 100.0% 90.7% 100.0%
Institutions holding 477 482 632
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.6% +8.2% +4.7%
Institutions buying 220 255 348
Institutions selling 190 160 185
Buyers to sellers 1.16 1.59 1.88

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.

ELSAMHESS
ELS 1.00 0.58 0.54
AMH 0.58 1.00 0.71
ESS 0.54 0.71 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ELS, AMH and ESS?

Essex Property Trust (ESS) is the largest by market capitalisation: Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) $12.13B, American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) $11.72B, Essex Property Trust (ESS) $17.47B.

Which stock is cheaper, ELS, AMH and ESS?

American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) 31.0x, American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) 25.3x, Essex Property Trust (ESS) 50.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) is cheapest (Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) 29.6x, American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) 30.8x, Essex Property Trust (ESS) 52.1x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Essex Property Trust (ESS) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) +3.2%, Essex Property Trust (ESS) +4.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) has the highest net margin (Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) 24.8%, Essex Property Trust (ESS) 17.8%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Essex Property Trust (ESS) returned the most: Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) +3.1%, American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) +1.4%, Essex Property Trust (ESS) +5.9%. Over five years, American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) compounded fastest (Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) -5.9%/yr, American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) -3.9%/yr, Essex Property Trust (ESS) -4.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) has the highest dividend yield: Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) 3.42%, American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) 3.95%, Essex Property Trust (ESS) 3.81%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) has been the steadiest (Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) 19.1%, American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) 20.4%, Essex Property Trust (ESS) 20.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ELS, AMH and ESS?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) leads on 4. 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.