Equity Residential $EQR Holdings Raised by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management raised its stake in Equity Residential by 5.8% to 1,016,454 shares (≈$63.05M) at quarter-end, and institutional investors now own 92.68% of EQR with several large firms (UBS, Wellington, Vanguard) significantly increasing holdings.
• Equity Residential reported Q1 EPS of $0.24, missing estimates of $0.33, while revenue of $779.85M was roughly in line and management guided FY2026 EPS to $4.020–4.140.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend to $0.7025 (annualized $2.81) for a 4.3% yield, although the dividend payout ratio stands at 112.4%.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Free Report) by 5.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,016,454 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 55,786 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.27% of Equity Residential worth $63,051,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 876.0% in the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 4,500,885 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $291,342,000 after buying an additional 4,039,752 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 797.2% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,085,406 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $134,988,000 after acquiring an additional 1,852,970 shares in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 353.5% in the 3rd quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 2,002,892 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $129,647,000 after acquiring an additional 1,561,241 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,597,658 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $3,728,296,000 after acquiring an additional 1,281,354 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Woodline Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 2,810.2% in the 3rd quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 1,073,893 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $69,513,000 after acquiring an additional 1,036,992 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.68% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on shares of Equity Residential from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Equity Residential from $67.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Equity Residential from $78.50 to $78.25 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Equity Residential from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Equity Residential from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $72.00 to $74.00 in a report on Thursday, March 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Equity Residential has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $69.91.

Equity Residential Stock Performance

NYSE EQR opened at $66.00 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 company has a market capitalization of $24.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.40, a P/E/G ratio of 5.25 and a beta of 0.76. Equity Residential has a 12-month low of $57.57 and a 12-month high of $71.80. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $61.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $61.61.

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

Equity Residential Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 10th. Investors of record on Monday, March 30th were given a dividend of $0.7025 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 30th. This represents a $2.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. This is an increase from Equity Residential's previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Equity Residential's dividend payout ratio is presently 112.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Catherine Carraway sold 656 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,194,419.07. The trade was a 3.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Robert Garechana sold 3,637 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total transaction of $236,877.81. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,220,536.20. The trade was a 16.25% 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 worth $655,078 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.20% 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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