IRT vs ESS vs AMH Stock Comparison

Independence Realty Trust, Essex Property Trust and American Homes 4 Rent Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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AMH American Homes 4 Rent
$31.55 +2.8% 1M -1.0% 1Y
Market cap
$11.35B
P/E
24.4x
Revenue (TTM)
—
Div. yield
0.04%
Residential REITs Real Estate
4 wins

Head to Head

10 decided of 12

Essex Property Trust leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Essex Property Trust 5, American Homes 4 Rent 4, Independence Realty Trust 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionIRTESSAMHLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $3.50B $16.95B $11.35B ESS
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 80.5x 41.0x 24.4x AMH
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 106.8x 51.0x 30.1x AMH
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +3.5% +4.7% — ESS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 6.5% 21.5% — ESS
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — — — –
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 5.3x — –
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.05% 0.04% 0.04% IRT
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -2.1% +7.4% -1.0% ESS
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -8.9%/yr -4.8%/yr -4.9%/yr ESS
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 21.6% 20.3% 20.2% AMH
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 52/100 46/100 62/100 AMH

Percentile Scorecard

IRTESSAMH

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

AxisIRTESSAMH
Valuation 51 #72 of 145 15 #123 of 145 50 #73 of 145
Growth 54 #66 of 143 33 #96 of 143 66 #50 of 143
Profitability 52 #66 of 136 93 #11 of 136 65 #48 of 136
Financial Health 75 #36 of 138 47 #74 of 138 61 #55 of 138
Shareholder Returns 31 #91 of 131 40 #79 of 131 68 #43 of 131
Overall 52 46 62
  • IRT ranked among 149 companies in Property REITs
  • ESS ranked among 149 companies in Property REITs
  • AMH ranked among 149 companies in Property REITs

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodIRTESSAMHSPY
1 month -0.3%-3.2%+2.8% +0.7%
3 months -11.3%-5.7%-5.0% +3.7%
6 months -9.3%+0.8%-0.9% +7.1%
Year to date -15.3%+1.4%-1.7% +12.8%
1 year -2.1%+7.4%-1.0% +11.9%
3 years +22.4%+26.3%-2.0% +85.2%
3 years, per year +7.0%+8.1%-0.7% +22.8%
5 years -37.4%-21.9%-22.3% +67.6%
5 years, per year -8.9%-4.8%-4.9% +10.9%
10 years +76.4%+26.8%+53.0% +262.0%
10 years, per year +5.8%+2.4%+4.3% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureIRTESSAMHSPY
Volatility, 1Y 21.6%20.3%20.2% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 23.0%22.2%19.2% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.150.110.01 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.100.36-0.05 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -57.1%-45.4%-37.2% -25.4%
From 52-week high -16.7%-11.1%-9.4% -1.2%
52-week high $17.77$298.33$34.81 $779.14
52-week low $14.46$239.61$27.38 $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.

MultipleIRTESSAMH
P/E now vs peer median 80.1xmedian 25.7x 41.2xmedian 25.7x 24.5xmedian 25.7x
P/S now vs peer median 5.2xmedian 4.1x 8.9xmedian 4.1x —median 4.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median —median 14.3x 18.9xmedian 14.3x —median 14.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median -955.4xmedian 23.5x 29.4xmedian 23.5x 1,092xmedian 23.5x
P/B now vs peer median 1.0xmedian 1.3x 3.1xmedian 1.3x 1.5xmedian 1.3x
PEG now vs peer median -5.10median 1.86 -5.13median 1.86 2.52median 1.86

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 monthsIRTESSAMH
Revenue $666.83M $1.93B –
Operating income – $627.10M –
Net income $44.30M $437.61M $542.82M
Free cash flow -$3.65M $580.66M $10.37M
EPS (diluted) $0.18 $6.44 $1.29
Cash & equivalents $46.70M $58.33M $83.67M
Total debt $2.44B $6.70B $5.13B
Shares (diluted) 236.04M 64.28M 360.81M
Enterprise value $3.31B $16.71B $11.04B

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
MetricIRTESSAMH
P/E 80.1x 41.2x 24.5x
P/FCF -955.4x 29.4x 1,092x
P/Operating cash flow 12.7x 15.3x 13.1x
P/S 5.2x 8.9x –
P/B 1.0x 3.1x 1.5x
P/Tangible book 1.0x 3.1x 1.5x
EV/EBITDA – 18.9x –
EV/EBIT – 37.8x –
EV/Revenue 8.8x 12.3x –
EV/FCF -1,612x 40.8x 1,579x
EV/Operating cash flow 21.3x 21.2x 18.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -5.10 -5.13 2.52

Growth

14 metrics
MetricIRTESSAMH
Revenue growth (1Y) 3.5% 4.7% –
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 0.9% 5.2% –
Gross profit growth (1Y) – – –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – – –
Operating income growth (1Y) – -35.4% –
Operating income CAGR (3Y) – -2.6% –
Net income growth (1Y) 57.0% -49.8% 12.2%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -14.6% -7.9% 9.1%
EPS growth (1Y) 55.3% -48.2% 15.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -15.7% -8.0% 9.7%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 0.2% 8.3% 4.1%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 1.3% 5.4% 7.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 98.0% 344.6% 101.6%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 71.2% -3.3% 26.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricIRTESSAMH
Gross margin – – –
EBITDA margin – 64.9% –
Operating margin – 32.5% –
Pretax margin – 18.9% –
Net margin 6.5% 21.5% –
FCF margin -0.5% 30.1% –
Operating cash flow margin 41.4% 58.0% –
Return on equity 1.3% 7.9% 7.2%
Return on assets 0.7% 3.4% 4.1%
Return on invested capital – – –
Return on capital employed – – –
Asset turnover 0.1x 0.1x –
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 6.2x 2.6x 1.6x
Stock comp / revenue 1.2% 0.6% –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricIRTESSAMH
Debt / assets 40.1% 51.9% 39.1%
Debt / equity 0.7x 1.2x 0.7x
Net debt / EBITDA – 5.3x –
Debt / FCF -669.1x 11.5x 494.5x
Liabilities / assets 42.8% 57.5% 43.0%
Equity / assets 57.2% 42.5% 57.0%
Interest coverage – 2.4x –
Current ratio – – –
Quick ratio – – –
Cash ratio – – –
Altman Z-score – – –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricIRTESSAMH
Dividend yield 4.7% 3.9% 4.1%
Net buyback yield -2.4% 0.4% 2.1%
Shareholder yield 2.4% 4.3% 6.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) 363.2% 151.6% 85.3%
Payout ratio (FCF) -4,405% 114.2% 4,462%
Dividend growth (1Y) 10.2% 4.0% 11.3%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 8.7% 4.8% 17.4%

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.

ConsensusIRTESSAMH
Forward P/E 106.8xFY2026 51.0xFY2026 30.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $0.14FY2026 $5.21FY2026 $1.06FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -41.7%FY2026 -49.9%FY2026 -10.2%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +50.0% +29.6% -18.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $637.39MFY2026 $2.05BFY2026 $2.04BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -2.9%FY2026 +9.2%FY2026 +10.0%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +20.7% -7.5% -0.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersIRTESSAMH
Held by institutions 98.8% 100.0% 90.3%
Institutions holding 396 631 482
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.0% +4.7% +8.2%
Institutions buying 189 348 255
Institutions selling 141 184 160
Buyers to sellers 1.34 1.89 1.59

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.

IRTESSAMH
IRT 1.00 0.71 0.64
ESS 0.71 1.00 0.70
AMH 0.64 0.70 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, IRT, ESS and AMH?

Essex Property Trust (ESS) is the largest by market capitalisation: Independence Realty Trust (IRT) $3.50B, Essex Property Trust (ESS) $16.95B, American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) $11.35B.

Which stock is cheaper, IRT, ESS and AMH?

American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Independence Realty Trust (IRT) 80.5x, Essex Property Trust (ESS) 41.0x, American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) 24.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) is cheapest (Independence Realty Trust (IRT) 106.8x, Essex Property Trust (ESS) 51.0x, American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) 30.1x). 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: Independence Realty Trust (IRT) +3.5%, Essex Property Trust (ESS) +4.7%.

Which company is more profitable?

Essex Property Trust (ESS) has the highest net margin (Independence Realty Trust (IRT) 6.5%, Essex Property Trust (ESS) 21.5%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Essex Property Trust (ESS) returned the most: Independence Realty Trust (IRT) -2.1%, Essex Property Trust (ESS) +7.4%, American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) -1.0%. Over five years, Essex Property Trust (ESS) compounded fastest (Independence Realty Trust (IRT) -8.9%/yr, Essex Property Trust (ESS) -4.8%/yr, American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) -4.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Independence Realty Trust (IRT) has the highest dividend yield: Independence Realty Trust (IRT) 0.05%, Essex Property Trust (ESS) 0.04%, American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) 0.04%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) has been the steadiest (Independence Realty Trust (IRT) 21.6%, Essex Property Trust (ESS) 20.3%, American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) 20.2%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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.