MAA vs ALX vs ESRT Stock Comparison

Mid America Apartment Communities, Alexanders and Empire State Realty Trust Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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ALX Alexanders Inc
$249.22 +0.6% 1M +11.8% 1Y
Market cap
$1.29B
P/E
7.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$214.80M
Div. yield
0.07%
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 Trust 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionMAAALXESRTLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $13.57B $1.29B $856.05M MAA
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 35.3x 7.6x 278.6x ALX
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 33.1x 29.5x — ALX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +1.0% -1.5% +2.0% ESRT
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 17.3% 79.1% 0.4% ALX
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 5.3% — -1.1% MAA
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 4.6x — 5.0x MAA
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.05% 0.07% 0.03% ALX
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -6.4% +11.8% -33.7% ALX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -10.4%/yr -2.2%/yr -12.2%/yr ALX
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 19.5% 27.6% 36.5% MAA
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 50/100 35/100 35/100 MAA

Percentile Scorecard

MAAALXESRT

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

AxisMAAALXESRT
Valuation 46 #79 of 145 31 #101 of 145 77 #34 of 145
Growth 15 #122 of 143 32 #97 of 143 1 #141 of 143
Profitability 85 #21 of 136 46 #74 of 136 27 #100 of 136
Financial Health 56 #62 of 138 10 #125 of 138 57 #60 of 138
Shareholder Returns 47 #70 of 131 56 #58 of 131 12 #115 of 131
Overall 50 35 35
  • MAA ranked among 149 companies in Property REITs
  • ALX ranked among 149 companies in Property REITs
  • ESRT ranked among 149 companies in Property REITs

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodMAAALXESRTSPY
1 month -0.2%+0.6%+25.3% +0.7%
3 months -11.3%-5.7%+1.2% +3.7%
6 months -8.5%-1.1%-9.3% +7.1%
Year to date -14.9%+14.4%-22.5% +12.8%
1 year -6.4%+11.8%-33.7% +11.9%
3 years +0.6%+34.1%-38.7% +85.2%
3 years, per year +0.2%+10.3%-15.1% +22.8%
5 years -42.1%-10.6%-47.8% +67.6%
5 years, per year -10.4%-2.2%-12.2% +10.9%
10 years +30.8%-35.3%-73.7% +262.0%
10 years, per year +2.7%-4.3%-12.5% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureMAAALXESRTSPY
Volatility, 1Y 19.5%27.6%36.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 18.7%29.8%41.8% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.040.230.31 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.330.43-0.92 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -50.2%-44.2%-65.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -16.9%-13.0%-33.7% -1.2%
52-week high $142.19$286.59$7.62 $779.14
52-week low $114.20$205.15$3.93 $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.

MultipleMAAALXESRT
P/E now vs peer median 35.7xmedian 25.7x 7.5xmedian 25.7x 281.1xmedian 25.7x
P/S now vs peer median 6.2xmedian 4.1x 5.9xmedian 4.1x 1.1xmedian 4.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 15.4xmedian 14.3x —median 14.3x 10.0xmedian 14.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 25.6xmedian 23.5x 87.6xmedian 23.5x -2.0xmedian 23.5x
P/B now vs peer median 2.5xmedian 1.3x 5.7xmedian 1.3x 0.5xmedian 1.3x
PEG now vs peer median -2.79median 1.86 0.42median 1.86 -4.70median 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 monthsMAAALXESRT
Revenue $2.22B $214.80M $784.18M
Operating income – – -$34.52M
Net income $394.48M $169.82M $9.26M
Free cash flow $534.81M $14.53M -$437.31M
EPS (diluted) $3.31 $33.05 $0.01
Cash & equivalents $25.69M $303.31M $85.61M
Total debt $5.84B $3.48B $4.54B
Shares (diluted) 115.95M 5.14M 268.95M
Enterprise value $13.36B $496.35M $414.86M

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
MetricMAAALXESRT
P/E 35.7x 7.5x 281.1x
P/FCF 25.6x 87.6x -2.0x
P/Operating cash flow 13.7x 46.9x 3.8x
P/S 6.2x 5.9x 1.1x
P/B 2.5x 5.7x 0.5x
P/Tangible book 2.5x 5.7x 0.5x
EV/EBITDA 15.4x – 10.0x
EV/EBIT 32.0x – -50.3x
EV/Revenue 8.8x 8.4x 2.2x
EV/FCF 36.5x 124.2x -4.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 19.5x 66.4x 7.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -2.79 0.42 -4.70

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMAAALXESRT
Revenue growth (1Y) 1.0% -1.5% 2.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 1.4% 0.2% 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) -30.8% 354.2% -86.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -13.1% 17.9% -51.3%
EPS growth (1Y) -29.8% 354.0% -92.4%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -12.8% 17.8% -59.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -5.1% -68.1% -13.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -3.8% -28.8% -0.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 8.0% -74.4% -169.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -10.8% -38.2% -149.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMAAALXESRT
Gross margin – – –
EBITDA margin 57.0% – 22.1%
Operating margin – – -4.4%
Pretax margin 18.1% – 1.3%
Net margin 17.3% 79.1% 0.4%
FCF margin 24.0% 6.8% -55.8%
Operating cash flow margin 45.0% 12.6% 29.0%
Return on equity 7.2% – 0.5%
Return on assets 3.3% – 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) 2.5x 0.2x 24.6x
Stock comp / revenue 0.9% – 3.9%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMAAALXESRT
Debt / assets 48.5% 69.4% 22.4%
Debt / equity 1.1x 3.7x 0.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 4.6x – 5.0x
Debt / FCF 10.9x 57.4x -2.2x
Liabilities / assets 54.9% 81.4% 58.1%
Equity / assets 45.1% 18.6% 41.9%
Interest coverage 2.9x – -0.3x
Current ratio – – –
Quick ratio – – –
Cash ratio – – –
Altman Z-score – – –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMAAALXESRT
Dividend yield 5.2% 7.2% 3.1%
Net buyback yield 1.1% – –
Shareholder yield 6.3% 7.2% 3.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) 180.4% 54.4% 259.1%
Payout ratio (FCF) 133.1% 636.3% -5.5%
Dividend growth (1Y) 1.2% 0.0% 2.2%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 4.0% 0.1% 1.9%

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.

ConsensusMAAALXESRT
Forward P/E 33.1xFY2026 29.5xFY2027 –
EPS, next fiscal year $3.57FY2026 $8.44FY2027 $-0.35FY2027
EPS growth, next FY -5.6%FY2026 -31.2%FY2027 -240.0%FY2027
EPS growth, the year after -9.0% – –
Revenue, next fiscal year $2.29BFY2026 $259.67MFY2026 $758.24MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +3.8%FY2026 +21.8%FY2026 -1.3%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +1.5% -8.1% +4.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMAAALXESRT
Held by institutions 97.1% 38.9% 83.1%
Institutions holding 772 153 229
Change in shares held, QoQ +8.2% +2.7% +0.4%
Institutions buying 396 71 141
Institutions selling 262 50 51
Buyers to sellers 1.51 1.42 2.76

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.

MAAALXESRT
MAA 1.00 0.33 0.31
ALX 0.33 1.00 0.27
ESRT 0.31 0.27 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MAA, ALX and ESRT?

Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) is the largest by market capitalisation: Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) $13.57B, Alexanders (ALX) $1.29B, Empire State Realty Trust (ESRT) $856.05M.

Which stock is cheaper, MAA, ALX and ESRT?

Alexanders (ALX) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) 35.3x, Alexanders (ALX) 7.6x, Empire State Realty Trust (ESRT) 278.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Alexanders (ALX) is cheapest (Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) 33.1x, Alexanders (ALX) 29.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Empire State Realty Trust (ESRT) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) +1.0%, Alexanders (ALX) -1.5%, Empire State Realty Trust (ESRT) +2.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Alexanders (ALX) has the highest net margin (Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) 17.3%, Alexanders (ALX) 79.1%, Empire State Realty Trust (ESRT) 0.4%). On return on invested capital, Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) leads (Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) 5.3%, Empire State Realty Trust (ESRT) -1.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Alexanders (ALX) returned the most: Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) -6.4%, Alexanders (ALX) +11.8%, Empire State Realty Trust (ESRT) -33.7%. Over five years, Alexanders (ALX) compounded fastest (Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) -10.4%/yr, Alexanders (ALX) -2.2%/yr, Empire State Realty Trust (ESRT) -12.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Alexanders (ALX) has the highest dividend yield: Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) 0.05%, Alexanders (ALX) 0.07%, Empire State Realty Trust (ESRT) 0.03%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) has been the steadiest (Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) 19.5%, Alexanders (ALX) 27.6%, Empire State Realty Trust (ESRT) 36.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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.