15 Best Dividend Aristocrat Stocks with Over 3% Yield

9. Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS)

Dividend Yield as of March 29: 3.36%

Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) is a California-based real estate investment trust company that mainly invests in apartments in California and in the Seattle metropolitan area. The company has a high focus on high-demand coastal markets and has always benefitted from above-average rent growth. It also has external growth drivers and works with different partners to acquire apartment communities. Since the start of 2025, the stock has surged by over 9%, and its 12-month returns came in at 27.6%.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) reported revenue of $452 million, which showed a 7.9% growth from the same period last year. The company’s core Funds from Operations (CFFO) per diluted share came in at $3.92, up 2.3% from the prior-year period. This growth was mainly driven by favorable same property revenue growth.

For FY24, Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ESS) received cash proceeds of $108.8 million. In addition, at the end of the year, the company had $1.3 billion available in liquidity, including cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities. On February 20, the company declared a 4.9% hike in its quarterly dividend to $2.57 per share. This marked the company’s 30th consecutive year of dividend growth. With a dividend yield of 3.36%, as of March 29, ESS is one of the best dividend aristocrat stocks on our list.