Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) Stock Rating Upgraded by Argus

Key Points

• Argus upgraded Equity Residential (EQR) to a "strong-buy", but the consensus remains a Hold with an average price target of $69.70 (1 Strong Buy, 6 Buy, 13 Hold).
• Q4 results slightly missed expectations—EPS $1.03 vs. $1.04 expected and revenue $781.9M vs. $786.4M—and management guided Q1 2026 EPS to $0.940–0.980 and FY 2026 EPS to $4.020–4.140.
• Insiders sold 10,058 shares (~$655K) recently; the stock trades around $60.23 with a $22.7B market cap and institutions own about 92.7% of the shares.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Argus to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $70.00 to $68.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Equity Residential from $68.00 to $65.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Equity Residential from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $63.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Equity Residential from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, March 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equity Residential currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $69.70.

Equity Residential Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:EQR opened at $60.23 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $22.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.56, a PEG ratio of 4.53 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. Equity Residential has a 12-month low of $58.38 and a 12-month high of $72.64. The business's 50 day moving average is $62.38 and its 200 day moving average is $62.47.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.04 by ($0.01). Equity Residential had a net margin of 36.20% and a return on equity of 9.98%. The company had revenue of $781.91 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $786.35 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.00 earnings per share. The company'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. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Equity Residential will post 3.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Catherine Carraway sold 656 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,339 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,194,419.07. This represents a 3.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Robert Garechana sold 3,637 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total transaction of $236,877.81. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,220,536.20. This trade represents a 16.25% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 10,058 shares of company stock valued at $655,078. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equity Residential

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EQR. Collier Financial purchased a new position in Equity Residential in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in Equity Residential in the third quarter worth $27,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its position in Equity Residential by 69.2% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 440 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 375.2% in the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 480 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 379 shares during the period. Finally, DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Equity Residential during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors own 92.68% of the company's stock.

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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