Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report released on Saturday morning.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Equity Residential from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $72.00 to $74.00 in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $70.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target 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. Scotiabank increased their price objective 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Equity Residential from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equity Residential presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.73.

Equity Residential Stock Performance

NYSE:EQR opened at $58.49 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $61.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $61.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.96, a P/E/G ratio of 4.43 and a beta of 0.75. Equity Residential has a 12-month low of $57.57 and a 12-month high of $72.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

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 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 business had revenue of $781.91 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $786.35 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.00 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Equity Residential will post 3.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equity Residential Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 30th will be given a dividend of $0.7025 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 30th. This represents a $2.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.8%. This is an increase from Equity Residential’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Equity Residential’s dividend payout ratio is presently 94.54%.

Insider Activity at Equity Residential

In related news, COO Michael L. Manelis sold 5,765 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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. This trade represents a 11.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Catherine Carraway sold 656 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total value of $42,725.28. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,339 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,194,419.07. This represents a 3.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,058 shares of company stock worth $655,078. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equity Residential

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EQR. Collier Financial bought a new position in Equity Residential during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP bought a new stake in Equity Residential in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its position in shares of Equity Residential by 69.2% during the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 440 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Equity Residential during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT grew its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 375.2% during 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 buying an additional 379 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.68% of the company’s stock.

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.