Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) Price Target Lowered to $72.00 at Morgan Stanley

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) had its price objective trimmed by Morgan Stanley from $73.50 to $72.00 in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on Equity Residential from $61.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Piper Sandler set a $78.00 price objective on Equity Residential in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Evercore lifted their target price on Equity Residential from $69.00 to $70.00 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Equity Residential in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.63.

Equity Residential Trading Up 0.1%

Equity Residential stock opened at $60.06 on Monday. Equity Residential has a 52 week low of $58.38 and a 52 week high of $72.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.50, a P/E/G ratio of 4.53 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $62.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.36.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) 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 the consensus estimate of $1.04 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $781.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $786.35 million. Equity Residential had a net margin of 36.20% and a return on equity of 9.98%. Equity Residential’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Research analysts forecast that Equity Residential will post 3.98 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Catherine Carraway sold 656 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,339 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,194,419.07. This represents a 3.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Michael L. Manelis sold 5,765 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 transaction of $375,474.45. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 46,131 shares in the company, valued at $3,004,512.03. The trade was a 11.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 10,058 shares of company stock worth $655,078. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Equity Residential in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,201,674,000. Cohen & Steers Inc. grew its holdings in Equity Residential by 227.7% during the fourth quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 7,405,502 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $466,869,000 after purchasing an additional 5,145,442 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in Equity Residential by 876.0% during the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 4,500,885 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $291,342,000 after purchasing an additional 4,039,752 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Equity Residential by 797.2% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,085,406 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $134,988,000 after purchasing an additional 1,852,970 shares during the period. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Equity Residential by 725.6% in the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 1,908,429 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $128,800,000 after purchasing an additional 1,677,278 shares during the period. 92.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.