Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 10,107,052 shares, a growth of 20.8% from the February 12th total of 8,366,095 shares. Currently, 2.7% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,690,278 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.8 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,690,278 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.8 days. Currently, 2.7% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on EQR shares. 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. BMO Capital Markets cut Equity Residential from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Argus set a $70.00 target price on Equity Residential in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Piper Sandler set a $78.00 price target on Equity Residential in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Equity Residential from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equity Residential has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.63.

Equity Residential Price Performance

NYSE EQR opened at $61.06 on Wednesday. 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 has a 1 year low of $58.38 and a 1 year high of $72.64. The company has a market cap of $23.05 billion, a PE ratio of 20.84, a PEG ratio of 4.53 and a beta of 0.75. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $62.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $62.33.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) last announced its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $781.91 million during 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business 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. On average, analysts predict that Equity Residential will post 3.98 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equity Residential

In other Equity Residential news, EVP Robert Garechana sold 3,637 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 transaction of $236,877.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,740 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,220,536.20. This represents a 16.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Catherine Carraway sold 656 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total transaction of $42,725.28. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,339 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,194,419.07. This trade represents a 3.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 10,058 shares of company stock valued at $655,078. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equity Residential

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in Equity Residential during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Equity Residential in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its position in shares of Equity Residential by 69.2% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 440 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Equity Residential in the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT grew its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 375.2% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.68% of the company’s stock.

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.