Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Market Information

The shares of the Company’s common stock are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ESS.

There is no established public trading market for the Operating Partnership's limited partnership units ("OP Units").

Holders

The approximate number of holders of record of the shares of Essex's common stock was 1,191 as of February 17, 2021. This number does not include stockholders whose shares are held in investment accounts by other entities. Essex believes the actual number of stockholders is greater than the number of holders of record.

As of February 17, 2021, there were 67 holders of record of OP Units, including Essex.

Return of Capital

Under provisions of the Code, the portion of the cash dividend, if any, that exceeds earnings and profits is considered a return of capital. The return of capital is generated due to a variety of factors, including the deduction of non-cash expenses, primarily depreciation, in the determination of earnings and profits.

The status of the cash dividends distributed for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018 related to common stock are as follows:

Dividends and Distributions

Future dividends/distributions by Essex and the Operating Partnership will be at the discretion of the Board of Directors of Essex and will depend on the actual cash flows from operations of the Company, its financial condition, capital requirements, the annual distribution requirements under the REIT provisions of the Code, applicable legal restrictions and such other factors as the Board of Directors deems relevant. There are currently no contractual restrictions on Essex's and the Operating Partnership's present or future ability to pay dividends and distributions, and we do not anticipate that our ability to pay dividends/distributions will be impaired; however, there can be no assurances in that regard.

The Board of Directors declared a dividend/distribution for the fourth quarter of 2020 of $2.0775 per share. The dividend/distribution was paid on January 15, 2021 to stockholders/unitholders of record as of January 4, 2021.

Dividend Reinvestment and Share Purchase Plan

Essex has adopted a dividend reinvestment and share purchase plan designed to provide holders of common stock with a convenient and economical means to reinvest all or a portion of their cash dividends in shares of common stock and to acquire additional shares of common stock through voluntary purchases. Computershare, LLC, which serves as Essex's transfer agent, administers the dividend reinvestment and share purchase plan. For a copy of the plan, contact Computershare, LLC at (312) 360-5354.

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Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans

The information required by this section is incorporated herein by reference from our Proxy Statement, relating to our 2021 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, under the headings "Equity Compensation Plan Information," to be filed with the SEC within 120 days of December 31, 2020.

Issuance of Registered Equity Securities

During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company did not issue any shares of common stock through its equity distribution program. As of December 31, 2020, there were no outstanding forward sale agreements, and $826.6 million of shares remains available to be sold under this program.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

In December 2015, Essex's Board of Directors authorized a stock repurchase plan to allow Essex to acquire shares in an aggregate of up to $250.0 million. In February 2019, the Board of Directors approved the replenishment of the stock repurchase plan such that, as of such date, the Company had $250.0 million of purchase authority remaining under the stock repurchase plan. During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company repurchased and retired 1,197,190 shares of its common stock totaling $269.3 million, including commissions, at an average price of $224.96 per share. In each of May and December 2020, the Board of Directors approved the replenishment of the stock repurchase plan such that, as of each such date, Essex had $250.0 million of purchase authority remaining under the replenished plan. As of December 31, 2020, the Company had $223.6 million of purchase authority remaining under the stock repurchase plan.

Performance Graph

The line graph below compares the cumulative total stockholder return on Essex's common stock for the last five years with the cumulative total return on the S&P 500 and the NAREIT All Equity REIT index over the same period. This comparison assumes that the value of the investment in the common stock and each index was $100 on December 31, 2015 and that all dividends were reinvested.

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(1)Common stock performance data is provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

The graph and other information furnished under the above caption "Performance Graph" in this Part II Item 5 of this Form 10-K shall not deemed to be "soliciting material" or to be "filed" with the SEC or subject to Regulation 14A or 14C, or to the liabilities of the Exchange Act.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities

During the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Operating Partnership issued OP Units in private placements in reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act, in the amounts and for the consideration set forth below:

During the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, Essex issued an aggregate of 70,802 and 178,675 shares of its common stock upon the exercise of stock options, respectively. Essex contributed the proceeds from the option exercises of $14.9 million and $37.5 million to the Operating Partnership in exchange for an aggregate of 70,802 and 178,675 OP Units, as required by the Operating Partnership’s partnership agreement, during the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

During the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, Essex issued an aggregate of 24,666 and 16,114 shares of its common stock in connection with restricted stock awards for no cash consideration, respectively. For each share of common stock issued by Essex in connection with such awards, the Operating Partnership issued OP Units to Essex as required by the Operating

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Partnership's partnership agreement, for an aggregate of 24,666 and 16,114 OP Units during the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

During the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, Essex issued an aggregate of 8,783 and 12,633 shares of its common stock in connection with the exchange of OP Units and DownREIT units by limited partners or members into shares of common stock, respectively. For each share of common stock issued by Essex in connection with such exchange, the Operating Partnership issued OP Units to Essex as required by the Operating Partnership's partnership agreement, for an aggregate of 8,783 and 12,633 OP Units during the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Essex may sell shares through its equity distribution program, then contribute the net proceeds from these share issuances to the Operating Partnership in exchange for OP Units as required by the Operating Partnership's partnership agreement. During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company did not issue any shares of common stock through its equity distribution program. As of December 31, 2020, there were no outstanding forward purchase agreements. During the year ended December 31, 2019, 228,271 shares of the Company's common stock were issued or sold by Essex pursuant to its equity distribution programs.

Stock Repurchases

The following table summarizes the Company's purchase of its common stock during the three months ended December 31, 2020:

(1) In December 2020, the Board of Directors approved the replenishment of the stock repurchase plan such that, as of such date, the Company had $250.0 million of purchase authority remaining under the replenished plan.

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