Equity Residential $EQR Stock Position Raised by Danske Bank A S

Key Points

• Danske Bank increased its stake in Equity Residential by 19.1% to 283,983 shares (about $17.9M), while institutional investors now own roughly 92.68% of the company.
• Insider selling accelerated: COO Michael Manelis sold 5,765 shares and EVP Catherine Carraway sold 656 shares, with insiders totaling 10,058 shares sold (~$655,078) in the past 90 days and owning 1.10% of the stock.
• Equity Residential missed quarterly expectations with EPS of $0.24 versus $0.33 estimated and revenue of $779.85M (slightly below estimates), but raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7025 ($2.81 annualized) for a ~4.3% yield.

Danske Bank A S boosted its stake in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Free Report) by 19.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 283,983 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 45,582 shares during the quarter. Danske Bank A S owned approximately 0.07% of Equity Residential worth $17,902,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EQR. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its position in Equity Residential by 69.2% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in Equity Residential by 434.7% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 540 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 439 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.68% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Equity Residential

In related news, COO Michael L. Manelis sold 5,765 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 value of $375,474.45. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 46,131 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,004,512.03. This trade represents a 11.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Catherine Carraway sold 656 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 $42,725.28. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 10,058 shares of company stock worth $655,078 in the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Equity Residential Stock Performance

Shares of EQR opened at $65.27 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average is $61.37 and its 200-day moving average is $61.53. Equity Residential has a 12 month low of $57.57 and a 12 month high of $72.40. The firm has a market cap of $24.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.92 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

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

Equity Residential Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 30th were paid a dividend of $0.7025 per share. This is a positive change from Equity Residential's previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 30th. This represents a $2.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.3%. Equity Residential's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 112.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler set a $78.00 target price on shares of Equity Residential in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Equity Residential in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Equity Residential from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $72.00 to $74.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Equity Residential from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Equity Residential presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $69.76.

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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