ESS vs SUI vs ELS Stock Comparison

Essex Property Trust, Sun Communities and Equity Lifestyle Properties Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
SUI Sun Communities Inc
$120.31 +7.1% 1M -2.5% 1Y
Market cap
$14.68B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$2.20B
Div. yield
0.04%
Residential REITs Real Estate
1 win

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Essex Property Trust leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Essex Property Trust 5, Equity Lifestyle Properties 5, Sun Communities 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionESSSUIELSLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $17.70B $14.68B $11.82B ESS
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 42.8x -16.9x 29.4x ELS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 53.3x — 28.7x ELS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +4.7% +2.0% +2.5% ESS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 21.5% -39.5% 25.7% ELS
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — -1.7% — –
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 5.3x 4.3x 5.2x SUI
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.04% 0.04% 0.03% ESS
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +5.6% -2.5% -0.2% ESS
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -3.7%/yr -9.9%/yr -6.7%/yr ESS
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 20.1% 20.2% 18.5% ELS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 46/100 41/100 50/100 ELS

Percentile Scorecard

ESSSUIELS

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

AxisESSSUIELS
Valuation 13 #127 of 145 19 #118 of 145 11 #129 of 145
Growth 36 #92 of 144 36 #93 of 144 57 #63 of 144
Profitability 93 #11 of 140 29 #100 of 140 91 #13 of 140
Financial Health 50 #74 of 146 76 #36 of 146 38 #91 of 146
Shareholder Returns 38 #82 of 132 48 #69 of 132 54 #61 of 132
Overall 46 41 50
  • ESS ranked among 149 companies in Property REITs
  • SUI ranked among 149 companies in Property REITs
  • ELS ranked among 149 companies in Property REITs

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodESSSUIELSSPY
1 month +1.8%+7.1%+2.0% -1.0%
3 months -5.1%-1.2%-7.9% +2.9%
6 months +9.0%-7.3%-3.9% +6.4%
Year to date +6.4%-2.9%+0.4% +11.4%
1 year +5.6%-2.5%-0.2% +13.1%
3 years +29.7%+14.5%-6.5% +79.4%
3 years, per year +9.1%+4.6%-2.2% +21.5%
5 years -17.0%-40.5%-29.3% +67.7%
5 years, per year -3.7%-9.9%-6.7% +10.9%
10 years +34.7%+55.4%+62.8% +255.2%
10 years, per year +3.0%+4.5%+5.0% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureESSSUIELSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 20.1%20.2%18.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 21.8%19.8%17.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.12-0.05-0.20 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.28-0.12-0.01 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -45.4%-51.1%-34.2% -25.4%
From 52-week high -6.7%-12.3%-11.0% -2.5%
52-week high $298.33$137.18$68.37 $779.14
52-week low $239.61$110.01$57.64 $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.

MultipleESSSUIELS
P/E now vs peer median 43.2xmedian 27.0x -16.9xmedian 27.0x 29.3xmedian 27.0x
P/S now vs peer median 9.3xmedian 4.1x 6.7xmedian 4.1x 7.6xmedian 4.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 19.6xmedian 14.5x 43.6xmedian 14.5x 23.9xmedian 14.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 30.8xmedian 23.7x 33.1xmedian 23.7x 34.2xmedian 23.7x
P/B now vs peer median 3.3xmedian 1.3x 2.6xmedian 1.3x 6.5xmedian 1.3x
PEG now vs peer median -5.39median 2.07 0.15median 2.07 2.63median 2.07

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 monthsESSSUIELS
Revenue $1.93B $2.20B $1.56B
Gross profit – $1.99B $1.42B
Operating income $627.10M -$138.00M $409.36M
Net income $437.61M -$889.70M $415.18M
Free cash flow $580.66M $445.00M $345.41M
EPS (diluted) $6.44 $-6.86 $2.01
Cash & equivalents $58.33M $165.20M $35.63M
Total debt $26.96B $7.15B $13.20B
Shares (diluted) 64.28M 127.00M 200.21M
Enterprise value $17.46B $12.23B $11.68B

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
MetricESSSUIELS
P/E 43.2x -16.9x 29.3x
P/FCF 30.8x 33.1x 34.2x
P/Operating cash flow 16.0x 16.4x 20.0x
P/S 9.3x 6.7x 7.6x
P/B 3.3x 2.6x 6.5x
P/Tangible book 3.3x 2.7x 6.5x
EV/EBITDA 19.6x 43.6x 23.9x
EV/EBIT 39.1x -118.6x 36.8x
EV/Revenue 12.7x 7.4x 9.6x
EV/FCF 42.3x 36.8x 43.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 21.9x 18.2x 25.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -5.39 0.15 2.63

Growth

14 metrics
MetricESSSUIELS
Revenue growth (1Y) 4.7% 2.0% 2.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.2% -10.9% 2.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – 3.1% 3.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – 1.2% 3.9%
Operating income growth (1Y) -35.4% 71.4% 8.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -2.6% 28.8% 28.2%
Net income growth (1Y) -49.8% -165.3% 7.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -7.9% -123.7% 11.5%
EPS growth (1Y) -48.2% -166.9% 9.2%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -8.0% -115.0% 11.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 8.3% 11.4% 1.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 5.4% 11.3% 10.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 344.6% 16.8% -1.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -3.3% 44.9% 24.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricESSSUIELS
Gross margin – 90.2% 91.0%
EBITDA margin 64.9% 17.0% 40.4%
Operating margin 32.5% -6.3% 26.2%
Pretax margin 18.9% 3.5% 18.3%
Net margin 21.5% -39.5% 25.7%
FCF margin 30.1% 20.2% 22.1%
Operating cash flow margin 58.0% 40.8% 37.7%
Return on equity 7.9% -14.3% 22.8%
Return on assets 3.4% -7.7% 7.2%
Return on invested capital – -1.7% –
Return on capital employed – – –
Asset turnover 0.1x 0.2x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.6x -1.0x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 0.6% – 0.4%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricESSSUIELS
Debt / assets 51.9% 16.4% 57.1%
Debt / equity 1.2x 0.3x 1.8x
Net debt / EBITDA 5.3x 4.3x 5.2x
Debt / FCF 11.5x 4.0x 9.6x
Liabilities / assets 57.5% 48.5% 68.7%
Equity / assets 42.5% 51.5% 31.3%
Interest coverage 2.4x -0.9x 3.0x
Current ratio – – –
Quick ratio – – –
Cash ratio – – –
Altman Z-score – – –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricESSSUIELS
Dividend yield 3.7% 3.7% 3.5%
Net buyback yield 0.3% 3.8% 0.0%
Shareholder yield 4.1% 7.5% 3.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) 151.6% -61.7% 97.1%
Payout ratio (FCF) 114.2% 123.3% 116.8%
Dividend growth (1Y) 4.0% -46.2% 9.7%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 4.8% – 8.9%

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.

ConsensusESSSUIELS
Forward P/E 53.3xFY2026 – 28.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $5.22FY2026 $-5.89FY2026 $2.12FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -49.8%FY2026 -154.3%FY2026 +5.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +29.7% – +8.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $2.05BFY2026 $2.04BFY2026 $1.52BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +9.2%FY2026 -11.5%FY2026 -0.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -7.5% -4.9% +14.4%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersESSSUIELS
Held by institutions 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Institutions holding 630 530 476
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.7% +6.1% +2.6%
Institutions buying 348 258 220
Institutions selling 183 197 190
Buyers to sellers 1.90 1.31 1.16

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.

ESSSUIELS
ESS 1.00 0.53 0.53
SUI 0.53 1.00 0.74
ELS 0.53 0.74 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ESS, SUI and ELS?

Essex Property Trust (ESS) is the largest by market capitalisation: Essex Property Trust (ESS) $17.70B, Sun Communities (SUI) $14.68B, Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) $11.82B.

Which stock is cheaper, ESS, SUI and ELS?

Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Essex Property Trust (ESS) 42.8x, Sun Communities (SUI) -16.9x, Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) 29.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) is cheapest (Essex Property Trust (ESS) 53.3x, Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) 28.7x). 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: Essex Property Trust (ESS) +4.7%, Sun Communities (SUI) +2.0%, Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) +2.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) has the highest net margin (Essex Property Trust (ESS) 21.5%, Sun Communities (SUI) -39.5%, Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) 25.7%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Essex Property Trust (ESS) returned the most: Essex Property Trust (ESS) +5.6%, Sun Communities (SUI) -2.5%, Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) -0.2%. Over five years, Essex Property Trust (ESS) compounded fastest (Essex Property Trust (ESS) -3.7%/yr, Sun Communities (SUI) -9.9%/yr, Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) -6.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Essex Property Trust (ESS) has the highest dividend yield: Essex Property Trust (ESS) 0.04%, Sun Communities (SUI) 0.04%, Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) 0.03%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) has been the steadiest (Essex Property Trust (ESS) 20.1%, Sun Communities (SUI) 20.2%, Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) 18.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Essex Property Trust (ESS) leads on 5. 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.