Envestnet Asset Management Inc. Has $14.61 Million Stock Position in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR)

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Free Report) by 19.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 203,612 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 33,057 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. owned 0.05% of Equity Residential worth $14,611,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EQR. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,745,615 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $576,737,000 after acquiring an additional 591,866 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its position in Equity Residential by 69.8% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 20,752 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,573,000 after purchasing an additional 8,534 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Equity Residential in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Equity Residential by 12.3% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 129,258 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $9,625,000 after purchasing an additional 14,109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 104.6% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 17,195 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,280,000 after purchasing an additional 8,789 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.68% of the company's stock.

Equity Residential Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EQR traded up $1.11 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $68.16. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,743,773 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,722,418. The company has a market cap of $25.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.06, a P/E/G ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.85. Equity Residential has a fifty-two week low of $59.41 and a fifty-two 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 business's 50 day moving average price is $69.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $71.43.

Equity Residential Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $0.6925 dividend. This represents a $2.77 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.06%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This is an increase from Equity Residential's previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. Equity Residential's payout ratio is 101.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on EQR. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $78.00 to $74.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Equity Residential from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. 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. StockNews.com upgraded Equity Residential from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on Equity Residential from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $78.51.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Equity Residential news, CAO Ian Kaufman sold 642 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 $46,262.52. Following the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Michael L. Manelis sold 9,487 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 of the company's stock, valued at $1,930,106.67. This trade represents a 26.16 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 19,763 shares of company stock valued at $1,424,217 over the last quarter. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.