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

Key Points

• Equity Residential has a consensus analyst rating of "Hold", based on coverage from 21 brokerages. The average 1-year price target is about $70.11.
• The company reported Q1 earnings of $0.24 per share, missing the $0.33 consensus estimate, while revenue came in roughly in line at $779.85 million. Management also guided for FY2026 EPS of $4.02 to $4.14.
• Equity Residential recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7025 per share, or $2.81 annualized, for a 4.2% yield. However, the payout ratio is high at 112.4%.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the twenty-one brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $70.1125.

EQR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Equity Residential from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Equity Residential from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Equity Residential from $78.50 to $78.25 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Equity Residential in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Equity Residential from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd.

Equity Residential Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of Equity Residential stock opened at $66.30 on Friday. 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 has a market cap of $24.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.22 and a beta of 0.76. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $61.90. Equity Residential has a fifty-two week low of $57.57 and a fifty-two week high of $70.31.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.33 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $779.85 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $781.79 million. Equity Residential had a net margin of 30.63% and a return on equity of 8.57%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.95 EPS. 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. On average, equities analysts forecast that Equity Residential will post 4.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equity Residential Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 30th were given a dividend of $0.7025 per share. This represents a $2.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.2%. This is a boost from Equity Residential's previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 30th. Equity Residential's payout ratio is presently 112.40%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equity Residential

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Equity Residential during the third quarter worth $26,000. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Equity Residential during the third quarter worth $27,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised 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 worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Equity Residential during the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its position 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 worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares during the period. 92.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Equity Residential

Here are the key news stories impacting Equity Residential this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Equity Residential’s merger with AvalonBay could improve scale, operating efficiency, and bargaining power across a portfolio of more than 180,000 rental apartments, supporting the investment case for the combined company. What the AvalonBay, Equity Residential megamerger means for the apartment industry and rents
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised several forward earnings estimates for Equity Residential, including Q1 2027, Q3 2027, Q4 2027, Q1 2028 and FY2028, signaling improved longer-term earnings expectations.
• Neutral Sentiment: Some 2026 and Q2 2027 EPS estimates were trimmed slightly, suggesting near-term earnings expectations are not uniformly improving, even as longer-dated forecasts rise.
• Negative Sentiment: The merger has also drawn shareholder-rights investigations, which could add legal noise and uncertainty around whether EQR investors are receiving a fair price in the deal.

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.

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