Vanguard Group Inc. Increases Stock Position in Equity Residential $EQR

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 57,724,920 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 127,262 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 0.15% of Equity Residential worth $3,638,979,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of EQR. Coronation Fund Managers Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Equity Residential in the 4th quarter worth about $15,200,000. Segment Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Equity Residential by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,845 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $242,000 after acquiring an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC boosted its stake in Equity Residential by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 14,321 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $889,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its holdings in Equity Residential by 2,012.0% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 998,401 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $62,939,000 after purchasing an additional 951,128 shares during the period. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS increased its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 130,094 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $8,201,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. 92.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equity Residential Trading Up 4.6%

Shares of NYSE EQR opened at $65.21 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $61.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $61.48. Equity Residential has a 52-week low of $57.57 and a 52-week high of $72.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.31. The company has a market cap of $24.43 billion, a PE ratio of 22.26, a P/E/G ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.73.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.70. Equity Residential had a net margin of 36.20% and a return on equity of 9.98%. The company had revenue of $779.85 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $783.38 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.95 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equity Residential has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.020-4.140 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.980-1.020 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Equity Residential will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equity Residential Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 30th were paid a $0.7025 dividend. This is an increase from Equity Residential’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. This represents a $2.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 30th. Equity Residential’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.90%.

Key Headlines Impacting Equity Residential

Here are the key news stories impacting Equity Residential this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reported FFO/EPS beat consensus estimates — FFO topped expectations and was cited as stronger than Street forecasts, supporting the view that core apartment operations remain resilient. Equity Residential (EQR) Q1 FFO Top Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Operating metrics show underlying strength — revenue was up ~2.5% year-over-year and the company reported a healthy net margin (~36%) and near-10% ROE, which supports longer-term cash flow durability. Press Release — First Quarter 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance was updated and is mixed: FY 2026 EPS range (4.020–4.140) is roughly in line with consensus, while Q2 guidance (0.980–1.020) sits slightly below the Street midpoint — this gives analysts something to model but is not materially bearish on its face. Equity Residential Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue marginally missed consensus (reported $779.85M vs. est. ~$783M) and some per-share metrics showed year-over-year pressure in GAAP/FFO comparisons in portions of the release, highlighting near-term sensitivity to rents and leasing trends. Those elements temper the upbeat reaction and could cap further upside if trends slow. Compared to Estimates, Equity Residential (EQR) Q1 Earnings

Insider Activity

In other Equity Residential news, COO Michael L. Manelis sold 5,765 shares of the business’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 transaction, the chief operating officer owned 46,131 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,004,512.03. The trade was a 11.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Robert Garechana sold 3,637 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,740 shares in the company, valued at $1,220,536.20. This represents a 16.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 10,058 shares of company stock valued at $655,078 over the last ninety days. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Piper Sandler set a $78.00 price target on Equity Residential in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley raised Equity Residential from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $72.00 to $74.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Argus set a $70.00 price objective on Equity Residential in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Equity Residential from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equity Residential has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.51.

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.