Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) Shares Purchased by Mizuho Securities USA LLC

Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its holdings in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Free Report) by 46.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 32,359 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 10,235 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings in Equity Residential were worth $2,322,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 607.8% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 361 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Equity Residential during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Continuum Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equity Residential during the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 38.8% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 558 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. 92.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus set a $82.25 price target on shares of Equity Residential in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Equity Residential from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Equity Residential from $83.00 to $79.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Equity Residential from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Equity Residential from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $78.51.

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Equity Residential Price Performance

NYSE EQR traded up $0.12 on Friday, hitting $71.38. The company had a trading volume of 1,163,184 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,682,914. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The company's fifty day moving average price is $70.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $72.55. The company has a market capitalization of $27.10 billion, a PE ratio of 26.24, a PEG ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.91. Equity Residential has a 12-month low of $59.48 and a 12-month high of $78.84.

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. This is a positive change from Equity Residential's previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. This represents a $2.77 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.88%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Equity Residential's payout ratio is 101.84%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equity Residential

In other Equity Residential news, EVP Scott Fenster sold 5,340 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were 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 $2,558,634.42. This trade represents a 13.07 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Ian Kaufman sold 642 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.06, for a total value of $46,262.52. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 25,539 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,840,340.34. This trade represents a 2.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 currently owned by insiders.

Equity Residential 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.