Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Sells 131,553 Shares of Equity Residential $EQR

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH cut its stake in Equity Residential by 24.9%, selling 131,553 shares and ending the quarter with 397,223 shares valued at about $25.05 million (0.10% of the company).
• Company insiders sold 10,058 shares during the quarter — including COO Michael L. Manelis (5,765 shares) and EVP Robert Garechana (3,637 shares) — totaling roughly $655,078 and leaving insiders with a 1.10% ownership stake.
• Equity Residential posted Q4 EPS of $1.03 (missed by $0.01), gave FY2026 guidance of $4.020–4.140, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7025 (annualized $2.81, ~4.5% yield; payout ratio 95.9%).

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lessened its position in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Free Report) by 24.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 397,223 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 131,553 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.10% of Equity Residential worth $25,050,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Collier Financial acquired a new position in Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP acquired a new position in Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 439 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.68% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Michael L. Manelis sold 5,765 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total value of $375,474.45. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 46,131 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,004,512.03. This represents a 11.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Robert Garechana sold 3,637 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total value of $236,877.81. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly 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 position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 10,058 shares of company stock valued at $655,078. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Equity Residential Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of EQR stock opened at $62.69 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $23.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.40, a PEG ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.73. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $61.31 and a 200-day moving average of $61.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. Equity Residential has a 1-year low of $57.57 and a 1-year high of $72.40.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.04 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $781.91 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $786.35 million. Equity Residential had a net margin of 36.20% and a return on equity of 9.98%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.00 EPS. 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 research analysts forecast that Equity Residential will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Equity Residential Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 30th were paid a $0.7025 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 30th. This is a positive change from Equity Residential's previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. This represents a $2.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.5%. Equity Residential's payout ratio is currently 95.90%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Equity Residential in a report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler set a $78.00 target price on Equity Residential in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on Equity Residential from $68.00 to $67.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 13th. Argus set a $70.00 target price on Equity Residential in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their target price on Equity Residential from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned 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 a consensus price target of $69.48.

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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