Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Estimate for EQR Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its Q1 EPS estimate for Equity Residential to $1.04 (from $1.00), with the consensus full-year EPS at about $3.98.
• Equity Residential reported quarterly EPS of $1.03, missing estimates by $0.01 and generating $781.9M in revenue versus $786.4M expected, while guiding Q1 2026 EPS of $0.94–$0.98 and FY 2026 EPS of $4.02–$4.14.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7025 (annualized $2.81) for a ~4.6% yield with a payout ratio of ~95.9%, amid insider sales of roughly 10,058 shares (~$655k) last quarter.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Free Report) - Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2028 earnings per share estimates for shares of Equity Residential in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, April 9th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the real estate investment trust will post earnings of $1.04 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $1.00. The consensus estimate for Equity Residential's current full-year earnings is $3.98 per share.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on EQR. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Equity Residential in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus set a $78.50 target price on Equity Residential in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley raised Equity Residential from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $72.00 to $74.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Piper Sandler set a $78.00 target price on Equity Residential in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Evercore cut their target price on Equity Residential from $70.00 to $67.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. One research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equity Residential has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $69.58.

Equity Residential Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of Equity Residential stock opened at $61.16 on Monday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $61.59 and its 200-day moving average is $61.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.09 billion, a PE ratio of 20.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio 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 announced 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). The company had revenue of $781.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $786.35 million. Equity Residential had a return on equity of 9.98% and a net margin of 36.20%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.00 earnings per share. 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.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,543 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $223,000 after buying an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton grew its stake in Equity Residential by 69.2% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 440 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional grew its stake in Equity Residential by 6.1% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 3,274 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $212,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Summitry LLC grew its stake in Equity Residential by 6.3% in the third quarter. Summitry LLC now owns 3,193 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $207,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System grew its stake in Equity Residential by 1.1% in the third quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,200 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,178,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.68% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Robert Garechana sold 3,637 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 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. The trade was a 16.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Michael L. Manelis sold 5,765 shares of Equity Residential stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total value of $375,474.45. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 46,131 shares in the company, valued at $3,004,512.03. This represents a 11.11% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,058 shares of company stock worth $655,078. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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 issued a dividend of $0.7025 per share. 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%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 30th. Equity Residential's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.

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