SG Americas Securities LLC Purchases 438,835 Shares of Equity Residential $EQR

Key Points

• SG Americas Securities LLC bought an additional 438,835 shares, increasing its stake by 18,022% to 441,270 shares worth about $27.82 million (roughly 0.12% of Equity Residential).
• Equity Residential raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7025 (annualized $2.81) for a yield of about 4.7%, with an ex-dividend date of March 30 and payment on April 10.
• The REIT slightly missed Q4 expectations with EPS of $1.03 versus a $1.04 consensus and revenue of $781.9M vs. $786.4M, and issued Q1 2026 guidance of $0.94–$0.98 and FY2026 guidance of $4.02–$4.14 EPS.

SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Free Report) by 18,022.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 441,270 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 438,835 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC owned 0.12% of Equity Residential worth $27,818,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 2.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,597,658 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $3,728,296,000 after buying an additional 1,281,354 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 566.7% during the third quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 115,181 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $7,456,000 after acquiring an additional 97,906 shares in the last quarter. Aberdeen Group plc lifted its stake in Equity Residential by 34.6% in the third quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 568,408 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $36,446,000 after acquiring an additional 146,148 shares during the period. National Pension Service boosted its holdings in Equity Residential by 4.6% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 605,494 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $39,194,000 after acquiring an additional 26,590 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caprock Group LLC bought a new stake in Equity Residential in the third quarter valued at $4,232,000. 92.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Equity Residential Stock Performance

Shares of Equity Residential stock opened at $59.50 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.31, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.75. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $61.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $62.05. Equity Residential has a 12 month low of $57.57 and a 12 month high of $72.64.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.04 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $781.91 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $786.35 million. Equity Residential had a return on equity of 9.98% and a net margin of 36.20%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.00 earnings per share. 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, equities analysts forecast that Equity Residential will post 3.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equity Residential Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 30th will be issued a $0.7025 dividend. This represents a $2.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.7%. This is a boost from Equity Residential's previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 30th. Equity Residential's dividend payout ratio is currently 94.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equity Residential

In other news, COO Michael L. Manelis sold 5,765 shares of Equity Residential stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total transaction of $375,474.45. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Catherine Carraway sold 656 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total value of $42,725.28. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 10,058 shares of company stock valued at $655,078. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Piper Sandler set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Equity Residential in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Argus set a $70.00 target price on shares of Equity Residential in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Equity Residential from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Equity Residential in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $69.73.

Equity Residential 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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