Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Lowers Position in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio reduced its position in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Free Report) by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 633,687 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 14,477 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio owned 0.17% of Equity Residential worth $47,184,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Equity Residential in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Equity Residential in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 2,529.4% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 447 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 430 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 69.6% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 475 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HHM Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 146.6% in the second quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 550 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. 92.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Equity Residential Stock Performance

NYSE EQR traded down $0.16 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $73.59. The stock had a trading volume of 610,426 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,818,542. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $73.98 and a 200 day moving average of $71.71. The stock has a market cap of $27.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.98 and a beta of 0.92. Equity Residential has a 52-week low of $57.33 and a 52-week high of $78.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.13 and a current ratio of 0.13.

Equity Residential Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 24th were given a $0.675 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 24th. This represents a $2.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.67%. Equity Residential's dividend payout ratio is currently 110.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on EQR. BNP Paribas began coverage on Equity Residential in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $83.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $83.00 to $79.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Equity Residential from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $62.00 to $83.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Equity Residential from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $77.75 to $81.50 in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $77.25.

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.