Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) Price Target Lowered to $78.25 at Stifel Nicolaus

Key Points

• Stifel Nicolaus cut its target for Equity Residential to $78.25 (from $78.50) but kept a "Buy" rating, implying roughly a 20.00% upside from the current share price.
• Q1 results delivered a large EPS beat ($0.99 vs. $0.29 expected) while revenue missed slightly at $779.85M; management set FY2026 guidance of 4.020–4.140 EPS and Q2 guidance of 0.980–1.020, producing mixed near-term signals.
• Street sentiment is more cautious overall — the consensus rating is "Hold" with a mean target of $69.51 (one Strong Buy, seven Buy, twelve Hold), below Stifel's target.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Get Free Report) had its target price reduced by Stifel Nicolaus from $78.50 to $78.25 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the real estate investment trust's stock. Stifel Nicolaus' target price suggests a potential upside of 20.00% from the company's current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on EQR. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Equity Residential from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Equity Residential from $71.00 to $69.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Equity Residential from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Evercore lowered their target price on Equity Residential from $70.00 to $67.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Equity Residential in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $69.51.

Equity Residential Price Performance

Equity Residential stock opened at $65.21 on Wednesday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $61.29 and its 200 day moving average is $61.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market cap of $24.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.26, a P/E/G ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.73. Equity Residential has a one year low of $57.57 and a one year high of $72.40.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.70. The company had revenue of $779.85 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $783.38 million. Equity Residential had a return on equity of 9.98% and a net margin of 36.20%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm 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. As a group, research analysts expect that Equity Residential will post 4.07 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Robert Garechana sold 3,637 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total transaction of $236,877.81. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,740 shares in the company, valued at $1,220,536.20. The trade was a 16.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael L. Manelis sold 5,765 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total value of $375,474.45. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 46,131 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,004,512.03. This represents a 11.11% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 10,058 shares of company stock worth $655,078. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equity Residential

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EQR. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 3.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,489 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $536,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 13.9% during the second quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 4,836 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $330,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 96.1% during the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 11,300 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $763,000 after acquiring an additional 5,537 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Equity Residential during the second quarter valued at approximately $100,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in Equity Residential by 170.7% during the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 20,646 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,393,000 after buying an additional 13,018 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.68% of the company's stock.

More Equity Residential News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Reported FFO/EPS beat consensus estimates — FFO topped expectations and was cited as stronger than Street forecasts, supporting the view that core apartment operations remain resilient. Equity Residential (EQR) Q1 FFO Top Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Operating metrics show underlying strength — revenue was up ~2.5% year-over-year and the company reported a healthy net margin (~36%) and near-10% ROE, which supports longer-term cash flow durability. Press Release — First Quarter 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance was updated and is mixed: FY 2026 EPS range (4.020–4.140) is roughly in line with consensus, while Q2 guidance (0.980–1.020) sits slightly below the Street midpoint — this gives analysts something to model but is not materially bearish on its face. Equity Residential Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue marginally missed consensus (reported $779.85M vs. est. ~$783M) and some per-share metrics showed year-over-year pressure in GAAP/FFO comparisons in portions of the release, highlighting near-term sensitivity to rents and leasing trends. Those elements temper the upbeat reaction and could cap further upside if trends slow. Compared to Estimates, Equity Residential (EQR) Q1 Earnings

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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