Short Interest in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) Grows By 20.8%
by Michael Walen · The Markets DailyEquity Residential (NYSE:EQR – Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 10,107,052 shares, a growth of 20.8% from the February 12th total of 8,366,095 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,690,278 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.8 days. Approximately 2.7% of the company’s shares are short sold. Approximately 2.7% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,690,278 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.8 days.
Insider Buying and Selling at Equity Residential
In other news, COO Michael L. Manelis sold 5,765 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total transaction of $375,474.45. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 46,131 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,004,512.03. This represents a 11.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Catherine Carraway sold 656 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total value of $42,725.28. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,339 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,194,419.07. The trade was a 3.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 10,058 shares of company stock worth $655,078 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Trading of Equity Residential
A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of EQR. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Equity Residential by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,597,658 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,728,296,000 after acquiring an additional 1,281,354 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Equity Residential during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,201,674,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in Equity Residential by 2.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,922,935 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,630,103,000 after purchasing an additional 688,854 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Equity Residential by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,258,275 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $644,412,000 after purchasing an additional 114,604 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Equity Residential by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 9,242,013 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $582,617,000 after purchasing an additional 44,127 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.68% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of research analysts have recently commented on EQR shares. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Equity Residential from $70.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. BNP Paribas Exane upped their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Piper Sandler set a $78.00 price target on shares of Equity Residential in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Equity Residential in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equity Residential presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.63.
Equity Residential Stock Up 0.1%
Shares of EQR stock traded up $0.07 on Monday, hitting $60.06. The stock had a trading volume of 2,050,238 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,299,473. Equity Residential has a one year low of $58.38 and a one year high of $72.64. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $62.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.36. The company has a market cap of $22.68 billion, a PE ratio of 20.50, a P/E/G ratio of 4.53 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.
Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.04 by ($0.01). Equity Residential had a return on equity of 9.98% and a net margin of 36.20%.The business had revenue of $781.91 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $786.35 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.00 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equity Residential has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.940-0.980 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.020-4.140 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Equity Residential will post 3.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
About Equity Residential
Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust that acquires, develops, owns and operates rental apartment properties. Headquartered in Chicago, the company focuses on delivering professionally managed, market-rate apartment homes and related services to renters. Its operations cover a range of property types, including high-rise and mid-rise assets, with amenities and on-site management designed to support resident retention and occupancy.
The company’s core activities include property acquisitions, development and redevelopment, leasing, and day-to-day property management.