Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) Stock Rating Upgraded by Jefferies Financial Group

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) was upgraded by research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on EQR. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and set a $72.00 price target on shares of Equity Residential in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Equity Residential from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Nordea Equity Research raised shares of Equity Residential to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and fourteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Equity Residential presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $71.40.

Equity Residential Stock Performance

Shares of Equity Residential stock opened at $68.20 on Wednesday. Equity Residential has a one year low of $57.57 and a one year high of $71.50. The company has a market cap of $25.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.28, a PEG ratio of 5.42 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.18. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $67.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $63.86.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.33 by ($0.09). Equity Residential had a net margin of 30.63% and a return on equity of 8.57%. The company had revenue of $779.85 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $781.79 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.95 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. On average, research analysts predict that Equity Residential will post 4.09 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of EQR. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Equity Residential in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,201,674,000. Cohen & Steers Inc. raised its position in Equity Residential by 227.7% in the fourth quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 7,405,502 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $466,869,000 after purchasing an additional 5,145,442 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in Equity Residential by 876.0% during the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 4,500,885 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $291,342,000 after purchasing an additional 4,039,752 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Equity Residential by 797.2% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,085,406 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $134,988,000 after purchasing an additional 1,852,970 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its position in shares of Equity Residential by 353.5% during the third quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 2,002,892 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $129,647,000 after buying an additional 1,561,241 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.68% of the company’s stock.

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.