Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) Stock Price

Key Points

• Wells Fargo raised its price target on Equity Residential to $64 and kept an equal weight rating, implying roughly a 2.76% upside from the stock's recent level.
• Analysts are mixed overall: the consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $69.48, though firms vary — Morgan Stanley upgraded to Overweight with a $74 target while others trimmed or maintained targets.
• Shares traded at $62.28 (up 0.9%) with a $23.33B market cap and a P/E of 21.27; Q4 EPS of $1.03 slightly missed estimates and the company set FY2026 EPS guidance of 4.02–4.14.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $62.00 to $64.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has an "equal weight" rating on the real estate investment trust's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's target price indicates a potential upside of 2.76% from the stock's current price.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on EQR. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Equity Residential from $71.00 to $69.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Equity Residential in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $68.00 to $67.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 13th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Equity Residential from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the company from $72.00 to $74.00 in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on Equity Residential from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. One investment 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.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $69.48.

Equity Residential Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of EQR stock traded up $0.58 during trading on Thursday, hitting $62.28. 101,562 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,574,858. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.31. Equity Residential has a twelve month low of $57.57 and a twelve month high of $72.40. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $61.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $61.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.27, a P/E/G ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.73.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.04 by ($0.01). Equity Residential had a net margin of 36.20% and a return on equity of 9.98%. The business had revenue of $781.91 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $786.35 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.00 earnings per share. Equity Residential's revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 forecast that Equity Residential will post 4.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Equity Residential news, COO Michael L. Manelis sold 5,765 shares of Equity Residential stock in a transaction 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 owned 46,131 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,004,512.03. The trade was a 11.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Robert Garechana sold 3,637 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total transaction of $236,877.81. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,740 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,220,536.20. This trade represents a 16.25% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 10,058 shares of company stock worth $655,078 in the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equity Residential

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of EQR. Collier Financial bought a new position in Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP acquired a new position in Equity Residential during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its position 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 valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT increased its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 375.2% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 480 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 379 shares during the period. 92.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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