Geode Capital Management LLC Has $681.59 Million Stake in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR)

Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Free Report) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,519,627 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 165,683 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 2.51% of Equity Residential worth $681,594,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of Equity Residential during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,664,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Equity Residential by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 77,973 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $5,595,000 after acquiring an additional 1,844 shares in the last quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Equity Residential in the 4th quarter valued at $152,000. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Equity Residential by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 766,894 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $55,032,000 after acquiring an additional 9,247 shares during the period. Finally, Allianz SE acquired a new stake in shares of Equity Residential during the 4th quarter worth $308,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.68% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equity Residential

In related news, CFO Robert Garechana sold 4,294 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.06, for a total value of $309,425.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,108 shares in the company, valued at $1,016,622.48. This represents a 23.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Ian Kaufman sold 642 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 25,539 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,840,340.34. This represents a 2.45 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 19,763 shares of company stock worth $1,424,217. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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Equity Residential Trading Up 8.3 %

Shares of NYSE:EQR traded up $5.15 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $66.97. 5,593,259 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,711,246. The business's 50-day moving average price is $70.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $71.79. Equity Residential has a 12 month low of $59.41 and a 12 month 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 stock has a market capitalization of $25.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.62, a P/E/G ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.85.

Equity Residential Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.6925 dividend. This is a boost from Equity Residential's previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. This represents a $2.77 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Equity Residential's dividend payout ratio is 101.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Equity Residential from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $82.25 target price on shares of Equity Residential in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of Equity Residential from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Equity Residential from $83.00 to $79.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Equity Residential currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.