Wealthfront Advisers LLC Buys 21,462 Shares of Equity Residential $EQR

Key Points

• Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its stake in Equity Residential by 50.8%, buying 21,462 shares to hold 63,737 shares valued at about $4.02 million.
• Equity Residential reported Q1 EPS of $0.24 versus analyst estimates of $0.33 and revenue of $779.85M (slightly below estimates), while issuing FY2026 guidance of $4.02–$4.14 EPS.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend to $0.7025 (annualized $2.81, ~4.3% yield), and analysts show a consensus Hold with an average price target of $69.76 as the stock trades near $65.27.

Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its stake in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Free Report) by 50.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 63,737 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 21,462 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC's holdings in Equity Residential were worth $4,018,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of EQR. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Equity Residential by 3.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,489 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $536,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares during the period. Cresset Asset Management LLC grew its position in Equity Residential by 13.9% in the second quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 4,836 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $330,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC grew its position in Equity Residential by 96.1% during the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 11,300 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $763,000 after acquiring an additional 5,537 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. bought a new stake in Equity Residential during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $100,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in Equity Residential by 170.7% during the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 20,646 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,393,000 after acquiring an additional 13,018 shares during the last quarter. 92.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler set a $78.00 price target on Equity Residential in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Evercore increased their price target on Equity Residential from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Equity Residential from $67.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday. Scotiabank increased their price target on Equity Residential from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $69.76.

Equity Residential Stock Down 0.2%

NYSE EQR opened at $65.27 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $24.45 billion, a PE ratio of 26.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.94 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.18 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $61.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $61.53. Equity Residential has a one year low of $57.57 and a one year high of $72.40.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $779.85 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $781.79 million. Equity Residential had a net margin of 30.63% and a return on equity of 8.57%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.95 earnings per share. 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Equity Residential will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equity Residential Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 30th were given a $0.7025 dividend. This represents a $2.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. 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 112.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equity Residential

In other Equity Residential news, EVP Robert Garechana sold 3,637 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total value of $236,877.81. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,740 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,220,536.20. This trade represents a 16.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Catherine Carraway sold 656 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,339 shares in the company, valued at $1,194,419.07. The trade was a 3.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 10,058 shares of company stock worth $655,078. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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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