Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Estimate for EQR Earnings

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research boosted their Q4 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Equity Residential in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, February 24th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the real estate investment trust will post earnings per share of $1.04 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.03. The consensus estimate for Equity Residential’s current full-year earnings is $3.98 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Equity Residential’s Q1 2026 earnings at $0.96 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.08 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $4.42 EPS.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on EQR. Scotiabank upped their price target on Equity Residential from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Barclays lowered their price target on Equity Residential from $83.00 to $79.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Equity Residential from $78.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Equity Residential from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $78.46.

Equity Residential Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EQR opened at $73.69 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $27.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.93. Equity Residential has a 1 year low of $59.02 and a 1 year high of $78.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $70.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $72.84.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EQR. Vert Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Vert Asset Management LLC now owns 150,245 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $10,782,000 after purchasing an additional 10,472 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. bought a new position in Equity Residential during the 3rd quarter valued at $923,000. Atomi Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Equity Residential by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,707 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $266,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 12.3% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 129,258 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $9,625,000 after acquiring an additional 14,109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 3.2% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,008,341 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $298,461,000 after purchasing an additional 124,795 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.68% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Equity Residential

In other news, EVP Scott Fenster sold 5,340 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.06, for a total value of $384,800.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 35,507 shares in the company, valued at $2,558,634.42. This trade represents a 13.07 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Michael L. Manelis sold 9,487 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total value of $683,728.09. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 26,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,930,106.67. This trade represents a 26.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 19,763 shares of company stock worth $1,424,217 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Equity Residential Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.675 per share. This represents a $2.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 2nd. Equity Residential’s payout ratio is 99.26%.

Equity Residential Company 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.