Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $69.7250.

EQR has been the topic of several recent research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on Equity Residential from $61.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Equity Residential from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Evercore raised their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $69.00 to $70.00 in a report on Monday, March 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $75.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th.

Insider Transactions at Equity Residential

In other news, EVP Robert Garechana sold 3,637 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total transaction of $236,877.81. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,740 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,220,536.20. This represents a 16.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael L. Manelis sold 5,765 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total value of $375,474.45. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 46,131 shares in the company, valued at $3,004,512.03. The trade was a 11.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,058 shares of company stock worth $655,078. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equity Residential

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Collier Financial purchased a new position in Equity Residential during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its position in shares of Equity Residential by 69.2% in the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 440 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 375.2% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 480 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equity Residential during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. 92.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equity Residential Stock Performance

NYSE EQR opened at $60.33 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $61.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $61.80. Equity Residential has a 12-month low of $57.57 and a 12-month high of $72.40. The firm has a market cap of $22.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.59, a PEG ratio of 4.49 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.04 by ($0.01). Equity Residential had a return on equity of 9.98% and a net margin of 36.20%.The company had revenue of $781.91 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $786.35 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.00 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equity Residential has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.940-0.980 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.020-4.140 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Equity Residential will post 3.98 EPS for the current year.

Equity Residential Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.7025 per share. This represents a $2.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.7%. This is a positive change from Equity Residential’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 30th. Equity Residential’s payout ratio is currently 95.90%.

Equity Residential Company Profile

Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust that acquires, develops, owns and operates rental apartment properties. Headquartered in Chicago, the company focuses on delivering professionally managed, market-rate apartment homes and related services to renters. Its operations cover a range of property types, including high-rise and mid-rise assets, with amenities and on-site management designed to support resident retention and occupancy.

The company’s core activities include property acquisitions, development and redevelopment, leasing, and day-to-day property management.