Vanguard Group Inc. Buys 127,262 Shares of Equity Residential $EQR

Key Points

• Vanguard Group increased its stake in Equity Residential by 127,262 shares (up 0.2%), now owning 57,724,920 shares — about 15.17% of the company valued at $3.64 billion.
• Q1 results showed EPS of $0.99, beating consensus by $0.70, while revenue of $779.85M slightly missed estimates; the company reported strong margins (36.2%) and issued mixed FY2026 guidance (4.020–4.140 EPS) with Q2 guidance a touch below the Street.
• Equity Residential raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7025 (annualized $2.81) for a ~4.3% yield despite a high payout ratio of 95.9%; institutional ownership is 92.68% and insiders have recently sold shares.

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Free Report) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 57,724,920 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 127,262 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 15.17% of Equity Residential worth $3,638,979,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of EQR. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Equity Residential during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP purchased a new position in shares of Equity Residential in the third quarter worth $27,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 69.2% in the fourth 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 during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Equity Residential during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Equity Residential by 434.7% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 540 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 439 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.68% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $61.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Equity Residential from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. 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 report on Thursday, March 26th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Equity Residential from $78.50 to $78.25 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Equity Residential from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $69.51.

Trending Headlines about Equity Residential

Here are the key news stories impacting Equity Residential this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reported FFO/EPS beat consensus estimates — FFO topped expectations and was cited as stronger than Street forecasts, supporting the view that core apartment operations remain resilient. Equity Residential (EQR) Q1 FFO Top Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Operating metrics show underlying strength — revenue was up ~2.5% year-over-year and the company reported a healthy net margin (~36%) and near-10% ROE, which supports longer-term cash flow durability. Press Release — First Quarter 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance was updated and is mixed: FY 2026 EPS range (4.020–4.140) is roughly in line with consensus, while Q2 guidance (0.980–1.020) sits slightly below the Street midpoint — this gives analysts something to model but is not materially bearish on its face. Equity Residential Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue marginally missed consensus (reported $779.85M vs. est. ~$783M) and some per-share metrics showed year-over-year pressure in GAAP/FFO comparisons in portions of the release, highlighting near-term sensitivity to rents and leasing trends. Those elements temper the upbeat reaction and could cap further upside if trends slow. Compared to Estimates, Equity Residential (EQR) Q1 Earnings

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Equity Residential news, EVP Catherine Carraway sold 656 shares of the company'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 transaction of $42,725.28. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,339 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,194,419.07. This represents a 3.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Michael L. Manelis sold 5,765 shares of the 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 $375,474.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 46,131 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,004,512.03. This represents a 11.11% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 10,058 shares of company stock valued at $655,078 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Equity Residential Stock Performance

NYSE:EQR opened at $65.21 on Wednesday. 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 firm's fifty day simple moving average is $61.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $61.48. The stock has a market cap of $24.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.73. Equity Residential has a twelve month low of $57.57 and a twelve month high of $72.40.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.70. Equity Residential had a net margin of 36.20% and a return on equity of 9.98%. The business had revenue of $779.85 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $783.38 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.95 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. 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. As a group, research analysts predict that Equity Residential will post 4.07 EPS for the current year.

Equity Residential Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 10th. Investors 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 an increase from Equity Residential's previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. This represents a $2.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. Equity Residential's payout ratio is currently 95.90%.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EQR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.