North Dakota State Investment Board Acquires Shares of 13,018 Equity Residential $EQR

North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 13,018 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $821,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of Equity Residential during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP purchased a new position in shares of Equity Residential during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 69.2% in the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 440 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 434.7% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 540 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 439 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.68% of the company’s stock.

Equity Residential Trading Up 0.7%

EQR opened at $66.21 on Thursday. Equity Residential has a one year low of $57.57 and a one year high of $70.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.81 billion, a PE ratio of 26.49, a P/E/G ratio of 5.22 and a beta of 0.76. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $62.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $61.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.18.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by ($0.09). Equity Residential had a net margin of 30.63% and a return on equity of 8.57%. The business had revenue of $779.85 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $781.79 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.95 earnings per share. The company’s revenue 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. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Equity Residential will post 4.09 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 paid a dividend of $0.7025 per share. This represents a $2.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.2%. This is a positive change from Equity Residential’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 30th. Equity Residential’s payout ratio is currently 112.40%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EQR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Equity Residential from $67.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Equity Residential from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $72.00 to $74.00 in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Piper Sandler set a $78.00 price objective on Equity Residential in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Equity Residential in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Equity Residential from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.11.

Equity Residential 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.