Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the twenty-three brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $70.65.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Equity Residential in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Equity Residential from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $76.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of Equity Residential from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Monday, June 8th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equity Residential

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Equity Residential during the fourth quarter worth $2,201,674,000. Cohen & Steers Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 227.7% during the fourth quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 7,405,502 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $466,869,000 after purchasing an additional 5,145,442 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 876.0% during the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 4,500,885 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $291,342,000 after purchasing an additional 4,039,752 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 797.2% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,085,406 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $134,988,000 after purchasing an additional 1,852,970 shares during the period. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 353.5% during the third quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 2,002,892 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $129,647,000 after purchasing an additional 1,561,241 shares during the period. 92.68% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equity Residential Stock Performance

Shares of Equity Residential stock opened at $65.81 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.32, a P/E/G ratio of 5.14 and a beta of 0.75. Equity Residential has a 52 week low of $57.57 and a 52 week high of $69.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $65.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.85.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.33 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $779.85 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $781.79 million. Equity Residential had a net margin of 30.63% and a return on equity of 8.57%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.95 earnings per share. 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. Research analysts forecast that Equity Residential will post 4.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equity Residential Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 29th will be given a dividend of $0.7025 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 29th. This represents a $2.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.3%. Equity Residential’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 112.40%.

About Equity Residential

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.