Aberdeen Group plc Has $27.63 Million Stock Holdings in Equity Residential $EQR

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc has significantly increased its position in Equity Residential by 46.8%, now owning approximately $27.63 million worth of shares.
• Equity Residential declared a quarterly dividend of $0.6925 per share, which translates to a 4.3% dividend yield.
• Wall Street analysts maintain a consensus 'Hold' rating for Equity Residential, with price targets ranging from $71 to $80.50.

Aberdeen Group plc lifted its position in shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Free Report) by 46.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 386,213 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 123,130 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc owned about 0.10% of Equity Residential worth $27,630,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of EQR. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 51.6% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 461 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the period. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in Equity Residential during the first quarter worth about $37,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new position in Equity Residential during the first quarter worth approximately $48,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new position in shares of Equity Residential in the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in Equity Residential by 27.6% during the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 740 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. 92.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equity Residential Price Performance

EQR stock traded up $1.34 during trading on Friday, hitting $65.61. The company had a trading volume of 278,186 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,927,588. The company has a market cap of $25.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.79, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $66.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $68.53. Equity Residential has a fifty-two week low of $59.41 and a fifty-two week high of $78.83.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.99. The company had revenue of $768.83 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $770.60 million. Equity Residential had a return on equity of 9.05% and a net margin of 33.22%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.97 earnings per share. Equity Residential has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.970-4.030 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 0.990-1.030 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Equity Residential will post 3.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equity Residential Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 24th were given a dividend of $0.6925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 24th. This represents a $2.77 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.2%. Equity Residential's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 104.53%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on EQR. Wedbush restated a "neutral" rating and set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Equity Residential in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $78.00 to $77.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $84.00 to $76.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Equity Residential from $76.00 to $71.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $80.50 target price on Equity Residential and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $77.78.

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.