Schroder Investment Management Group Sells 48,133 Shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR)

Schroder Investment Management Group lessened its holdings in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,087,103 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 48,133 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group owned about 0.29% of Equity Residential worth $77,358,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 607.8% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Equity Residential during the third quarter worth $29,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Continuum Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 109.5% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 551 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.68% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on EQR. StockNews.com raised Equity Residential from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $78.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $82.25 price target on shares of Equity Residential in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Equity Residential from $83.00 to $79.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $78.51.

Equity Residential Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of EQR stock opened at $71.38 on Monday. Equity Residential has a fifty-two week low of $59.48 and a fifty-two week high of $78.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.36. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $70.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $72.47. The company has a market cap of $27.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.24, a PEG ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.91.

Equity Residential Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.6925 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.77 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.88%. This is a positive change from Equity Residential’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. Equity Residential’s payout ratio is currently 101.84%.

Insider Activity at Equity Residential

In related news, COO Michael L. Manelis sold 9,487 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total value of $683,728.09. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 26,781 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,930,106.67. The trade was a 26.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott Fenster sold 5,340 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.06, for a total value of $384,800.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 35,507 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,558,634.42. The trade was a 13.07 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 19,763 shares of company stock worth $1,424,217 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

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.