Empiric Student Property plc (ESP.L) reported a continued moderation in its booking cycle for the academic year 2025/26, with occupancy currently at 89%, down from 95% in October 2024. Like-for-like rental growth remains aligned with guidance at 4.5%, reflecting consistent performance across rooms sold in both current and prior academic years.
Meeting the occupancy target for the current academic year is expected to be challenging if market conditions persist. However, January letting activity targeting the Spring postgraduate intake remains a strategic priority, with efforts underway to leverage the growing demand for shorter-term student accommodations.
Proceeds from the 2024 capital raise have been deployed toward refurbishment projects, resulting in the completion of three postgraduate developments in Bath, Sheffield, and Southampton. A fourth site in Bristol is progressing ahead of schedule and is now expected to open in early 2026.
The company has declared a dividend of 0.925 pence per share for the third quarter to 30 September 2025, to be paid to shareholders on 5 December 2025.
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June 19, 2026 16:46 ET Major central banks continued to dominate the economic news flow this week too, led by the Federal Reserve, as they announced their latest policy decisions. The Federal Reserve policy session was in focus as it was the first to be led by the new chief Kevin Warsh. In Europe, central banks of the U.K. and Switzerland announced their rate decisions. In Asia, the Bank of Japan drew attention for its policy moves, while data out of China threw some light on the state of the economy.