Short Interest in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) Grows By 20.8%

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) saw a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 10,107,052 shares, a growth of 20.8% from the February 12th total of 8,366,095 shares. Currently, 2.7% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 2,690,278 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.8 days. Based on an average trading volume of 2,690,278 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.8 days. Currently, 2.7% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Catherine Carraway sold 656 shares of Equity Residential stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total value of $42,725.28. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,339 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,194,419.07. The trade was a 3.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Robert Garechana sold 3,637 shares of the company’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 $236,877.81. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,740 shares in the company, valued at $1,220,536.20. The trade was a 16.25% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 10,058 shares of company stock worth $655,078 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Equity Residential

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EQR. Collier Financial bought a new position in Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP bought a new stake in shares of Equity Residential during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton grew its position in shares of Equity Residential by 69.2% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 440 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT grew its position in shares of Equity Residential by 375.2% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Finally, DV Equities LLC bought a new position in shares of Equity Residential during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.68% of the company’s stock.

Equity Residential Stock Performance

Shares of EQR stock traded up $1.00 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $61.06. 2,107,195 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,659,144. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.05 billion, a PE ratio of 20.84, a PEG ratio of 4.53 and a beta of 0.75. Equity Residential has a twelve month low of $58.38 and a twelve month high of $72.64. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $62.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $62.36.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by ($0.01). Equity Residential had a net margin of 36.20% and a return on equity of 9.98%. The business had revenue of $781.91 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $786.35 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.00 EPS. The firm’s 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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Equity Residential will post 3.98 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EQR has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Equity Residential from $75.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Equity Residential in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Equity Residential from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Equity Residential from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Friday, January 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.63.

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.