Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Shares of Equity Residential carry a consensus analyst recommendation of Hold from 20 firms (12 holds, 7 buys, 1 strong buy) with an average 1‑year price target of $69.53 and several brokerages recently raising targets (e.g., Barclays $76, UBS $71, Piper Sandler $78).
• The REIT slightly missed quarterly EPS ($1.03 vs. $1.04), issued FY2026 guidance of $4.02–4.14 (sell‑side est. $4.07), and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7025 (annual $2.81) for a 4.5% yield
• Company insiders sold 10,058 shares (~$655k) in the last 90 days (including the COO and EVP), even as institutional ownership remains high at about 92.7%.

Shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the twenty research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $69.5250.

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays boosted their target price on Equity Residential from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday. UBS Group raised their price target on Equity Residential from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Piper Sandler set a $78.00 price objective on Equity Residential in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Equity Residential from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their target price on Equity Residential from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Michael L. Manelis sold 5,765 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total value of $375,474.45. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 46,131 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,004,512.03. This trade represents a 11.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Catherine Carraway sold 656 shares of Equity Residential stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total transaction of $42,725.28. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,339 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,194,419.07. The trade was a 3.45% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 10,058 shares of company stock valued at $655,078 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equity Residential

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of EQR. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 21.1% during the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 123,779 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $7,322,000 after buying an additional 21,554 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Equity Residential by 13.0% during the 1st quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,883 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $348,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the period. IRON Financial LLC purchased a new position in Equity Residential during the 1st quarter valued at about $221,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 276,044 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $16,328,000 after purchasing an additional 8,590 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Leonteq Securities AG raised its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 48.8% in the 1st quarter. Leonteq Securities AG now owns 549 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. 92.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Equity Residential Stock Performance

NYSE EQR opened at $62.38 on Tuesday. The business's 50 day moving average price is $61.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $61.45. Equity Residential has a fifty-two week low of $57.57 and a fifty-two week high of $72.40. The company has a market cap of $23.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.29, a P/E/G ratio of 4.72 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.31.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.04 by ($0.01). Equity Residential had a return on equity of 9.98% and a net margin of 36.20%.The company had revenue of $781.91 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $786.35 million. During the same quarter 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Equity Residential will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Equity Residential Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 30th were issued a $0.7025 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 30th. This is a boost from Equity Residential's previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. This represents a $2.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.5%. Equity Residential's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 95.90%.

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.

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