Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Boosts Stock Position in Equity Residential $EQR

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Equity Residential by 992.6% in the fourth quarter, ending with 38,942 shares valued at about $2.46 million.
• Equity Residential reported Q1 earnings of $0.24 per share, missing analyst expectations of $0.33, while revenue came in just below estimates at $779.85 million.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7025 per share and now offers an annualized yield of about 4.2%; analysts currently have a consensus rating of Hold with an average price target of $70.11.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Free Report) by 992.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 38,942 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 35,378 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings in Equity Residential were worth $2,455,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Equity Residential by 2.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,597,658 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $3,728,296,000 after purchasing an additional 1,281,354 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Equity Residential by 2.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,922,935 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,630,103,000 after purchasing an additional 688,854 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Equity Residential by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 9,242,013 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $582,617,000 after purchasing an additional 44,127 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in Equity Residential by 0.6% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,231,961 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $403,395,000 after purchasing an additional 34,625 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Equity Residential by 3.4% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,199,635 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $336,564,000 after purchasing an additional 173,002 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.68% of the company's stock.

Equity Residential Stock Performance

NYSE:EQR opened at $66.25 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.18. Equity Residential has a 52-week low of $57.57 and a 52-week high of $70.31. The firm has a market cap of $24.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.50 and a beta of 0.76. The business's fifty day moving average is $62.45 and its 200 day moving average is $62.01.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Get Free Report) last released 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 company had revenue of $779.85 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $781.79 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.95 earnings per share. 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. Research analysts predict that Equity Residential will post 4.09 EPS for the current year.

Equity Residential Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 10th. Investors of record on Monday, March 30th were paid a dividend of $0.7025 per share. This represents a $2.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 30th. This is a positive change from Equity Residential's previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Equity Residential's dividend payout ratio is presently 112.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on EQR. Barclays boosted their price objective on Equity Residential from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. 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 report on Tuesday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Equity Residential in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Equity Residential from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Equity Residential from $67.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Equity Residential presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.11.

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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