The Goldman Sachs Group Cuts Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) Price Target to $69.00

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) had its price target decreased by The Goldman Sachs Group from $71.00 to $69.00 in a research report released on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The Goldman Sachs Group currently has a neutral rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on EQR. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Equity Residential from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Argus set a $70.00 price target on shares of Equity Residential in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price objective on shares of Equity Residential from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Equity Residential from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.38.

Equity Residential Stock Up 3.6%

EQR opened at $62.68 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $61.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $61.48. The company has a market capitalization of $23.48 billion, a PE ratio of 21.39, a PEG ratio of 4.57 and a beta of 0.73. Equity Residential has a 1-year low of $57.57 and a 1-year high of $72.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.04 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $781.91 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $786.35 million. Equity Residential had a return on equity of 9.98% and a net margin of 36.20%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company 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. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Equity Residential will post 3.98 EPS 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 paid a $0.7025 dividend. This represents a $2.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 30th. This is an increase from Equity Residential’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Equity Residential’s dividend payout ratio is presently 95.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equity Residential

In related news, COO Michael L. Manelis sold 5,765 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total value of $375,474.45. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 46,131 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,004,512.03. The trade was a 11.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,339 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,194,419.07. The trade was a 3.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 10,058 shares of company stock valued at $655,078 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Equity Residential

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Equity Residential in the fourth quarter valued at $2,201,674,000. Cohen & Steers Inc. raised its stake 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 in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position 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 grew its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 797.2% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,085,406 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $134,988,000 after buying an additional 1,852,970 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. grew its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 353.5% in the 3rd quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 2,002,892 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $129,647,000 after buying an additional 1,561,241 shares in the last quarter. 92.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.