A transesterification process produces a (meth)acrylate ester product from a mixture comprising an alkyl(meth)acrylate reactant, an alcohol reactant, a catalyst, and a polymerization inhibitor, wherein the water content in the reaction zone at the start of the transesterification step is from 0.2 to 1.1 weight percent, based on the weight of the materials in the reaction zone. The mixture is subjected to reaction conditions sufficient to produce a product (meth)acrylate and a product alcohol, which are different than the reactants.