Equity Residential $EQR Stock Position Raised by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its stake in shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) by 32.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 204,060 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 49,985 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund owned approximately 0.05% of Equity Residential worth $13,209,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of EQR. Wedbush Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Equity Residential by 13.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 4,108 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $266,000 after buying an additional 501 shares during the period. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its position in shares of Equity Residential by 8.6% in the third quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 153,900 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $9,962,000 after acquiring an additional 12,200 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 35.6% during the third quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 241,178 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $15,611,000 after acquiring an additional 63,267 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $4,232,000. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its stake in Equity Residential by 78.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 42,275 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,736,000 after purchasing an additional 18,618 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.68% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Catherine Carraway sold 656 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,194,419.07. This represents a 3.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael L. Manelis sold 5,765 shares of the firm’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 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 $3,004,512.03. The trade was a 11.11% 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 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Equity Residential News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $71 (maintained a “neutral” rating), giving institutional support that can attract buyers. Goldman Sachs Adjusts Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Independent analysts (Evercore ISI, Cantor Fitzgerald) published bullish price-appreciation forecasts, adding more analyst-level conviction that could support the share price over time. Evercore ISI Forecast Cantor Fitzgerald Forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Operational note: management reported benefits from AI and automation in 2025, which could reduce operating costs and improve margins over time. AI & Automation Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent quarter was mixed — a very small EPS miss (~$0.01) and modest revenue growth; management provided Q1 and FY 2026 EPS guidance (Q1: $0.94–$0.98; FY: $4.02–$4.14), which sets expectations but is not a fresh catalyst. EQR Earnings & Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend remains attractive (~4.3% yield) for income investors, but the payout ratio (~95%) limits room for further increases and is a structural consideration.
• Negative Sentiment: A wave of insider selling by senior executives (EVPs and the COO) on Feb. 10–11 has been reported and called out by coverage services; coordinated sells often spook traders and can create short-term downward pressure. TipRanks Insider Article
• Negative Sentiment: SEC Form 4 filings confirm material disposals by named insiders (e.g., Garechana, Manelis, Carraway), amplifying the negative signal for short-term traders watching insider flows. Garechana Form 4

Equity Residential Trading Down 2.5%

NYSE:EQR opened at $63.06 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.52, a P/E/G ratio of 4.86 and a beta of 0.76. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $61.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $62.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.31. Equity Residential has a 52 week low of $58.38 and a 52 week high of $75.86.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) last posted 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 business had revenue of $781.91 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $786.35 million. Equity Residential had a return on equity of 9.98% and a net margin of 36.20%.The business’s revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior 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. On average, research analysts forecast that Equity Residential will post 3.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equity Residential Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.6925 per share. This represents a $2.77 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 2nd. Equity Residential’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 94.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Equity Residential from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Equity Residential from $75.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Equity Residential in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Equity Residential from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $63.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.68.

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.