National Pension Service Has $41.26 Million Stock Position in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR)

National Pension Service lifted its holdings in shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Free Report) by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 554,178 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 51,501 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned approximately 0.15% of Equity Residential worth $41,264,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of EQR. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Equity Residential in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Equity Residential in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings 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 worth $35,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the period. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its stake in Equity Residential by 41.9% in the 2nd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 525 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HHM Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Equity Residential by 146.6% in the 2nd quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 550 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 327 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.68% of the company's stock.

Equity Residential Price Performance

Shares of EQR stock traded up $0.47 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $71.85. 1,232,690 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,860,496. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.13 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The stock's fifty day moving average is $74.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $70.31. Equity Residential has a fifty-two week low of $53.48 and a fifty-two week high of $78.83. The company has a market cap of $27.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.42, a P/E/G ratio of 5.87 and a beta of 0.90.

Equity Residential Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 24th were paid a dividend of $0.675 per share. This represents a $2.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 24th. Equity Residential's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 110.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EQR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Equity Residential from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Equity Residential from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $62.00 to $83.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Equity Residential from $83.00 to $79.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Equity Residential in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $83.00 price target on the stock. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $76.19.

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.