Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) Given New $71.00 Price Target at The Goldman Sachs Group

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) had its price target hoisted by analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $69.00 to $71.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s price target indicates a potential upside of 9.33% from the stock’s previous close.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Equity Residential in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Equity Residential from $70.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Equity Residential from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Piper Sandler set a $78.00 target price on Equity Residential in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.68.

Equity Residential Price Performance

Shares of EQR opened at $64.94 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $61.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.63. Equity Residential has a twelve month low of $58.38 and a twelve month high of $75.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.71 billion, a PE ratio of 22.09, a P/E/G ratio of 4.93 and a beta of 0.76.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 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 analyst estimates of $786.35 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.00 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Research analysts anticipate that Equity Residential will post 3.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Equity Residential news, EVP Robert Garechana sold 3,637 shares of Equity Residential stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total value of $236,877.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,740 shares in the company, valued at $1,220,536.20. The trade was a 16.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Catherine Carraway sold 656 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total value of $42,725.28. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,339 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,194,419.07. This represents a 3.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 10,058 shares of company stock valued at $655,078 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 2.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,597,658 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,728,296,000 after buying an additional 1,281,354 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Equity Residential during the 4th quarter valued at $2,201,674,000. State Street Corp boosted its position in Equity Residential by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,922,935 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,630,103,000 after acquiring an additional 688,854 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,258,275 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $644,412,000 after purchasing an additional 114,604 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 9,242,013 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $582,617,000 after purchasing an additional 44,127 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.68% of the company’s stock.

Equity Residential News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore ISI published a bullish forecast for EQR, projecting strong price appreciation based on fundamentals and valuation — this adds institutional analyst support that can attract buyers. Evercore ISI Forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald also issued a positive price-appreciation outlook, providing additional analyst-level backing that may counterbalance near-term selling pressure. Cantor Fitzgerald Forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Operational update: a report notes EQR saw benefits from AI and automation in 2025, implying potential cost savings and margin improvement over time. AI & Automation Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent quarterly results were mixed: a very small EPS miss and modest revenue growth; management gave Q1 and FY 2026 EPS guidance (Q1: $0.94–$0.98; FY: $4.02–$4.14), which sets expectations but is not a catalyst by itself.
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend yield remains attractive (~4.3% annualized) but payout ratio is high (~95%), which is relevant for income investors but limits upside from additional dividend increases in the near term.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider-selling wave: multiple senior executives (EVP Robert Garechana, COO Michael Manelis, EVP Catherine Carraway) sold shares around $65.13 on Feb. 10–11; pooled coverage (TipRanks) flagged the coordinated offloads, which often spooks investors and can create short-term downward pressure. TipRanks Insider Article
• Negative Sentiment: SEC Form 4 filings confirm material sales: Garechana (3,637 shares), Manelis (5,765), Carraway (656). The size and timing of these reductions (some double-digit percentage drops in their holdings) amplify the negative signal for traders watching insider activity. Garechana Form 4

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.