Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) Given New $70.00 Price Target at Evercore

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) had its price target increased by Evercore from $67.00 to $70.00 in a research note published on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

EQR has been the subject of a number of other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Equity Residential from $71.00 to $69.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Equity Residential from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $68.00 to $67.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Equity Residential presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.66.

Equity Residential Price Performance

Shares of Equity Residential stock opened at $65.44 on Wednesday. Equity Residential has a 52-week low of $57.57 and a 52-week high of $72.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a fifty day moving average of $61.32 and a 200-day moving average of $61.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.31.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.05). Equity Residential had a net margin of 36.20% and a return on equity of 9.98%. The business had revenue of $779.85 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $783.38 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.95 EPS. Equity Residential’s revenue for the quarter 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. Equities research analysts expect that Equity Residential will post 4.07 EPS for the current year.

Equity Residential Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 30th were given a dividend of $0.7025 per share. This represents a $2.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 currently 95.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equity Residential

In other Equity Residential news, EVP Robert Garechana sold 3,637 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 18,740 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,220,536.20. This represents a 16.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Michael L. Manelis sold 5,765 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total transaction of $375,474.45. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 46,131 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,004,512.03. The trade was a 11.11% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 10,058 shares of company stock valued at $655,078 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Collier Financial bought a new position in Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP bought a new position in Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its holdings in Equity Residential by 69.2% in 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 in the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its holdings in Equity Residential by 375.2% in 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 in the last quarter. 92.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Equity Residential News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 FFO and operating strength — EQR beat normalized FFO/FFO-per-share expectations, reported high occupancy (~96.5%) and highlighted growth in coastal demand; management is boosting shareholder returns via buybacks and a dividend hike, which supports cash-flow confidence. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — Evercore raised its price target to $70 and reiterated an Outperform, signaling institutional confidence in EQR’s near-term earnings/cash-flow outlook. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: M&A chatter — reports say top apartment owners AvalonBay and EQR are set to discuss a possible combination; even preliminary talks can boost sentiment due to potential scale, cost synergies and portfolio optimization. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Secondary coverage — Stifel slightly trimmed its price target (to $78.25) but maintained a Buy rating, which is supportive but not a material change in view. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript available — the full Q1 call provides additional color on leasing trends, expense control and capital allocation for investors who want management detail. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Headline EPS miss and slightly light guidance — GAAP EPS came in below consensus ($0.24 vs ~$0.29 est.), revenue was marginally under expectations, and EQR set Q2 and FY 2026 EPS ranges that are modestly below street consensus, which tempers upside until execution on guidance is evident. Article Title

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.