Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Reduces Stake in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. reduced its position in shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR - Free Report) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 615,800 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 4,160 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned about 0.16% of Equity Residential worth $44,190,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in EQR. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Equity Residential in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Equity Residential in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Equity Residential in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 430 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 195 shares during the period. 92.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Equity Residential Stock Performance

NYSE:EQR traded up $1.64 during trading on Thursday, reaching $70.12. The company's stock had a trading volume of 126,574 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,575,739. The firm has a market cap of $26.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.36 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.13 and a current ratio of 0.13. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $71.70 and a 200-day moving average of $72.66. Equity Residential has a 12 month low of $57.33 and a 12 month high of $78.83.

Equity Residential Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were given a dividend of $0.675 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $2.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.85%. Equity Residential's dividend payout ratio is presently 110.66%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Mizuho dropped their price target on Equity Residential from $78.00 to $74.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Stifel Nicolaus raised Equity Residential from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $77.75 to $81.50 in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. StockNews.com raised Equity Residential from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Equity Residential from $83.00 to $79.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $78.36.

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.