Intech Investment Management LLC Invests $355,000 in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR)

Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 4,953 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $355,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of EQR. Keybank National Association OH raised its stake in Equity Residential by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 7,001 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $502,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the period. AdvisorNet Financial Inc increased its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 25.3% during the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 722 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Equity Residential by 38.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 558 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the period. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Equity Residential by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 5,604 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $402,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE grew its position in Equity Residential by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 31,433 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,256,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the period. 92.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on EQR. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Equity Residential from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Equity Residential from $83.00 to $79.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Equity Residential from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price target on Equity Residential from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $78.51.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Equity Residential news, CAO Ian Kaufman sold 642 shares of the 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 25,539 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,840,340.34. This represents a 2.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Robert Garechana sold 4,294 shares of Equity Residential stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.06, for a total transaction of $309,425.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,108 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,016,622.48. This trade represents a 23.33 % 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 over the last ninety days. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Equity Residential Stock Up 0.2 %

EQR stock traded up $0.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $71.38. 1,163,184 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,682,915. The company has a current ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Equity Residential has a twelve month low of $59.48 and a twelve month high of $78.84. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $70.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $72.49. The company has a market capitalization of $27.10 billion, a PE ratio of 26.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.91.

Equity Residential Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.6925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.77 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.88%. This is a boost from Equity Residential's previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. Equity Residential's dividend payout ratio is presently 101.84%.

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.