168,085 Shares in Equity Residential $EQR Acquired by VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new stake in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 168,085 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $11,418,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT increased its stake in 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 period. DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equity Residential in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Equity Residential during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Leonteq Securities AG boosted its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 48.8% during the first quarter. Leonteq Securities AG now owns 549 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the period. 92.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equity Residential Stock Up 0.0%

Equity Residential stock opened at $63.68 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $66.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $64.60. Equity Residential has a 1-year low of $57.57 and a 1-year high of $71.50. The company has a market cap of $23.88 billion, a PE ratio of 27.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.53 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.19 and a quick ratio of 0.19.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The real estate investment trust reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $785.05 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $787.28 million. Equity Residential had a return on equity of 8.06% and a net margin of 27.97%.Equity Residential’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.99 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Equity Residential will post 4.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equity Residential Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 29th were paid a $0.7025 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 29th. This represents a $2.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.4%. Equity Residential’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 122.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on EQR shares. Nordea Equity Research raised Equity Residential to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Barclays reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $76.00 target price on shares of Equity Residential in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Wolfe Research upgraded Equity Residential from a “hold” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Mizuho increased their price target on Equity Residential from $66.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Equity Residential from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and fourteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Equity Residential currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $71.40.

Equity Residential 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.