Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $69.5789.

EQR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on Equity Residential from $70.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $78.50 target price on shares of Equity Residential in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Equity Residential from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $63.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on Equity Residential from $61.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $78.00 price target on shares of Equity Residential in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th.

Key Headlines Impacting Equity Residential

Here are the key news stories impacting Equity Residential this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore ISI published a bullish forecast for EQR, projecting strong price appreciation based on fundamentals and valuation — this adds institutional analyst support that can attract buyers. Evercore ISI Forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald also issued a positive price-appreciation outlook, providing additional analyst-level backing that may counterbalance near-term selling pressure. Cantor Fitzgerald Forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Operational update: a report notes EQR saw benefits from AI and automation in 2025, implying potential cost savings and margin improvement over time. AI & Automation Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent quarterly results were mixed: a very small EPS miss and modest revenue growth; management gave Q1 and FY 2026 EPS guidance (Q1: $0.94–$0.98; FY: $4.02–$4.14), which sets expectations but is not a catalyst by itself.
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend yield remains attractive (~4.3% annualized) but payout ratio is high (~95%), which is relevant for income investors but limits upside from additional dividend increases in the near term.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider-selling wave: multiple senior executives (EVP Robert Garechana, COO Michael Manelis, EVP Catherine Carraway) sold shares around $65.13 on Feb. 10–11; pooled coverage (TipRanks) flagged the coordinated offloads, which often spooks investors and can create short-term downward pressure. TipRanks Insider Article
• Negative Sentiment: SEC Form 4 filings confirm material sales: Garechana (3,637 shares), Manelis (5,765), Carraway (656). The size and timing of these reductions (some double-digit percentage drops in their holdings) amplify the negative signal for traders watching insider activity. Garechana Form 4

Insider Buying and Selling at Equity Residential

In related news, EVP Robert Garechana sold 3,637 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president directly 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 the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total value of $375,474.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 46,131 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,004,512.03. This represents a 11.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,058 shares of company stock worth $655,078. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equity Residential

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its stake 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 valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its holdings in Equity Residential by 6.8% during the second quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 2,841 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $192,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in shares of Equity Residential by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 48,030 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,242,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional boosted its position in Equity Residential by 6.1% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 3,274 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $212,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summitry LLC grew its position in shares of 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.68% of the company’s stock.

Equity Residential Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE EQR opened at $64.73 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.63 billion, a PE ratio of 22.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.93 and a beta of 0.76. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $61.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $62.63. Equity Residential has a 12 month low of $58.38 and a 12 month high of $75.86.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $781.91 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $786.35 million. Equity Residential had a net margin of 36.20% and a return on equity of 9.98%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $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 expect that Equity Residential will post 3.98 EPS for the current year.

Equity Residential Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd were issued a $0.6925 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $2.77 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. Equity Residential’s payout ratio is 94.54%.

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.