BDF Gestion Trims Stock Position in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR)

BDF Gestion decreased its position in shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Free Report) by 25.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 67,540 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 23,460 shares during the quarter. BDF Gestion's holdings in Equity Residential were worth $4,847,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of EQR. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Equity Residential in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in Equity Residential by 2,529.4% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 447 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 430 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Equity Residential during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 69.6% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 475 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.68% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on EQR. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Equity Residential from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Mizuho cut their target price 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. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $83.00 to $79.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of Equity Residential from $81.00 to $78.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Equity Residential from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $78.36.

Equity Residential Price Performance

Shares of Equity Residential stock traded up $0.87 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $70.61. 2,584,176 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,491,875. The business has a fifty day moving average of $71.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $72.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 0.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The company has a market capitalization of $26.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.93. Equity Residential has a 1 year low of $57.33 and a 1 year high of $78.83.

Equity Residential Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were issued a $0.675 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $2.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.82%. Equity Residential's payout ratio is 110.66%.

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.