Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nineteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $78.46.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on EQR shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $78.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $82.25 target price on shares of Equity Residential in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Scott Fenster sold 5,340 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.06, for a total transaction of $384,800.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 35,507 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,558,634.42. The trade was a 13.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Ian Kaufman sold 642 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.06, for a total transaction of $46,262.52. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 25,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,840,340.34. This trade represents a 2.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 19,763 shares of company stock worth $1,424,217 over the last three months. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Equity Residential

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vert Asset Management LLC raised its position in Equity Residential by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Vert Asset Management LLC now owns 150,245 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $10,782,000 after acquiring an additional 10,472 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. purchased a new position in Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $923,000. Atomi Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,707 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 12.3% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 129,258 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $9,625,000 after purchasing an additional 14,109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,008,341 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $298,461,000 after purchasing an additional 124,795 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.68% of the company’s stock.

Equity Residential Stock Up 0.4 %

Equity Residential stock opened at $73.74 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $28.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Equity Residential has a twelve month low of $59.48 and a twelve month high of $78.83. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $70.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $72.93.

Equity Residential Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were issued a $0.675 dividend. This represents a $2.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 2nd. Equity Residential’s payout ratio is 99.26%.

About Equity Residential

Equity Residential is committed to creating communities where people thrive. The Company, a member of the S&P 500, is focused on the acquisition, development and management of residential properties located in and around dynamic cities that attract affluent long-term renters. Equity Residential owns or has investments in 305 properties consisting of 80,683 apartment units, with an established presence in Boston, New York, Washington, DC, Seattle, San Francisco and Southern California, and an expanding presence in Denver, Atlanta, Dallas/Ft.