Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Sells 50,049 Shares of Equity Residential $EQR

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group trimmed its stake in Equity Residential by 2.3%, selling 50,049 shares and leaving it with 2,085,184 shares (about 0.55% of the company) valued at roughly $131.45 million.
• Equity Residential raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7025 (annualized $2.81, a 4.6% yield) and reported Q4 EPS of $1.03 (missed by $0.01), while guiding Q1 2026 EPS of $0.940–0.980 and FY2026 EPS of 4.020–4.140.
• Institutional ownership is high at 92.68%, insiders have sold about 10,058 shares (~$655k) recently, and analysts hold a consensus "Hold" rating with an average price target of $69.53.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. reduced its position in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Free Report) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,085,184 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 50,049 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned about 0.55% of Equity Residential worth $131,450,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Successful Portfolios LLC lifted its stake in Equity Residential by 14.4% in the 4th quarter. Successful Portfolios LLC now owns 3,658 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $221,000 after purchasing an additional 461 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Equity Residential in the 4th quarter valued at about $349,000. Greenleaf Trust lifted its stake in Equity Residential by 27.8% in the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 4,989 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $315,000 after purchasing an additional 1,084 shares during the last quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV lifted its stake in Equity Residential by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 47,615 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $3,002,000 after purchasing an additional 2,017 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in Equity Residential in the 4th quarter valued at about $48,000. 92.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equity Residential Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of EQR stock opened at $60.76 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $61.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $61.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The company has a market capitalization of $22.94 billion, a PE ratio of 20.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.73. Equity Residential has a 12-month low of $57.57 and a 12-month high of $72.40.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.04 by ($0.01). Equity Residential had a return on equity of 9.98% and a net margin of 36.20%.The company had revenue of $781.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $786.35 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.00 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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. As a group, analysts predict that Equity Residential will post 3.98 earnings per share for the current 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 given a $0.7025 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 30th. This is a positive change from Equity Residential's previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. This represents a $2.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.6%. Equity Residential's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.90%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Catherine Carraway sold 656 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 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. The trade was a 3.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Robert Garechana sold 3,637 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 $236,877.81. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,220,536.20. The trade was a 16.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,058 shares of company stock worth $655,078. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Piper Sandler set a $78.00 target price on shares of Equity Residential in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price objective on shares of Equity Residential from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Equity Residential from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $63.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Evercore cut their price objective on shares of Equity Residential from $70.00 to $67.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $69.53.

About Equity Residential

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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