Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) is Vert Asset Management LLC’s 10th Largest Position

Vert Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) by 7.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 150,245 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,472 shares during the quarter. Equity Residential accounts for about 3.7% of Vert Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Vert Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Equity Residential were worth $10,782,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Equity Residential in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Assetmark Inc. raised 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 in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Equity Residential during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.68% of the company’s stock.

Equity Residential Stock Performance

Shares of EQR opened at $70.16 on Tuesday. Equity Residential has a 1 year low of $57.33 and a 1 year high of $78.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.75, a P/E/G 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 company’s fifty day moving average is $72.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $72.65.

Equity Residential Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on EQR shares. Royal Bank of Canada cut 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Equity Residential from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $83.00 to $79.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised Equity Residential from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $77.75 to $81.50 in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $78.36.

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.