Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. Acquires 151 Shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR)

Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,827 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the period. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Equity Residential were worth $275,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Equity Residential by 607.8% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 361 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Equity Residential during the third quarter worth $29,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Equity Residential during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Continuum Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 38.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 558 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. 92.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EQR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Equity Residential from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Equity Residential from $83.00 to $79.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Equity Residential from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $78.51.

Equity Residential Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE EQR opened at $71.38 on Friday. Equity Residential has a 52-week low of $59.48 and a 52-week high of $78.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.36. The stock has a market cap of $27.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.24, a P/E/G ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.91. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $70.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.49.

Equity Residential Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.6925 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.77 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.88%. This is a boost from Equity Residential’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. Equity Residential’s dividend payout ratio is currently 101.84%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Robert Garechana sold 4,294 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.06, for a total transaction of $309,425.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 14,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,016,622.48. This represents a 23.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Ian Kaufman sold 642 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.06, for a total transaction of $46,262.52. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 25,539 shares in the company, valued at $1,840,340.34. This represents a 2.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 19,763 shares of company stock valued at $1,424,217. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company 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.