Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC Sells 4,676 Shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR)

Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC trimmed its stake in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) by 28.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,784 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 4,676 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC’s holdings in Equity Residential were worth $721,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Equity Residential by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,395,793 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,369,707,000 after purchasing an additional 372,181 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Equity Residential by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,457,092 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $320,386,000 after purchasing an additional 94,511 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its position in Equity Residential by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 5,206,249 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $305,659,000 after acquiring an additional 629,813 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Equity Residential by 68.5% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,416,565 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $259,297,000 after acquiring an additional 1,795,772 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,136,866 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $242,876,000 after purchasing an additional 203,470 shares during the last quarter. 92.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Equity Residential Trading Down 0.9 %

EQR opened at $66.22 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.23. Equity Residential has a one year low of $52.57 and a one year high of $69.45. The company has a market cap of $25.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.48, a PEG ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.82. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $63.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $61.00.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $730.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $728.09 million. Equity Residential had a return on equity of 8.18% and a net margin of 31.70%. The business’s revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.87 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Equity Residential will post 3.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equity Residential Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 25th were given a dividend of $0.675 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 22nd. This represents a $2.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.08%. This is an increase from Equity Residential’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Equity Residential’s dividend payout ratio is presently 112.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on EQR shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Equity Residential from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Equity Residential from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $62.00 to $61.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Equity Residential from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 14th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equity Residential presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $68.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Equity Residential news, Director Mary Kay Haben sold 3,241 shares of Equity Residential stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.48, for a total value of $212,220.68. Following the sale, the director now owns 9,720 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $636,465.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Equity Residential news, EVP Alexander Brackenridge sold 4,027 shares of Equity Residential stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.01, for a total transaction of $261,795.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 69,901 shares in the company, valued at $4,544,264.01. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mary Kay Haben sold 3,241 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.48, for a total value of $212,220.68. Following the sale, the director now owns 9,720 shares in the company, valued at approximately $636,465.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Equity Residential Profile

Equity Residential is committed to creating communities where people thrive. The Company, a member of the S&P 500, is focused on the acquisition, development and management of residential properties located in and around dynamic cities that attract affluent long-term renters. Equity Residential owns or has investments in 305 properties consisting of 80,683 apartment units, with an established presence in Boston, New York, Washington, DC, Seattle, San Francisco and Southern California, and an expanding presence in Denver, Atlanta, Dallas/Ft.