Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $70.20.

Several research firms recently issued reports on EQR. BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on Equity Residential from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Scotiabank increased their target price on Equity Residential from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Argus set a $70.00 target price on Equity Residential in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Equity Residential in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Equity Residential from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equity Residential

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in Equity Residential during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in Equity Residential during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its holdings in Equity Residential by 69.2% during 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 during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Equity Residential during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT increased its holdings in Equity Residential by 375.2% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 480 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.68% of the company’s stock.

Equity Residential Price Performance

EQR opened at $66.64 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $62.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $62.07. Equity Residential has a 12-month low of $57.57 and a 12-month high of $70.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $24.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.65 and a beta of 0.76.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.33 by ($0.09). Equity Residential had a return on equity of 8.57% and a net margin of 30.63%.The firm had revenue of $779.85 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $781.79 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.95 EPS. Equity Residential’s revenue 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, sell-side analysts expect that Equity Residential will post 4.09 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. Shareholders 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 30th. This represents a $2.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.2%. Equity Residential’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 112.40%.

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.