Achmea Investment Management B.V. Increases Stake in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR)

Achmea Investment Management B.V. boosted its position in shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Free Report) by 20.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 73,670 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 12,754 shares during the period. Achmea Investment Management B.V.'s holdings in Equity Residential were worth $5,286,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vert Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Equity Residential by 7.5% during 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. acquired a new position in shares of Equity Residential during the 3rd quarter worth about $923,000. Atomi Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Equity Residential by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,707 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP bought a new stake in Equity Residential during the fourth quarter worth about $321,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in Equity Residential by 119.8% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 483,753 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $34,714,000 after purchasing an additional 263,622 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.68% of the company's stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Ian Kaufman sold 642 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 25,539 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,840,340.34. This trade represents a 2.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott Fenster sold 5,340 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.06, for a total value of $384,800.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 35,507 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,558,634.42. This represents a 13.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 19,763 shares of company stock worth $1,424,217 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Equity Residential Price Performance

Equity Residential stock traded up $1.48 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $70.42. The company's stock had a trading volume of 755,135 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,581,510. 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 stock has a market cap of $26.74 billion, a PE ratio of 25.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.91. Equity Residential has a 52 week low of $59.48 and a 52 week high of $78.84. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $70.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $72.80.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on EQR. Mizuho lowered their price target on Equity Residential from $78.00 to $74.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $83.00 to $79.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Equity Residential from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Equity Residential from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Equity Residential from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $78.51.

About Equity Residential

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.