Mizuho Securities USA LLC Purchases 10,235 Shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its position in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) by 46.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 32,359 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,235 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in Equity Residential were worth $2,322,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 607.8% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 361 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 310 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Equity Residential in the third quarter worth $33,000. Continuum Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equity Residential during the third quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 38.8% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 558 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.68% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Robert Garechana sold 4,294 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.06, for a total value of $309,425.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,016,622.48. This trade represents a 23.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Ian Kaufman sold 642 shares of Equity Residential stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.06, for a total transaction of $46,262.52. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 25,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,840,340.34. This trade represents a 2.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 19,763 shares of company stock worth $1,424,217 in the last ninety days. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Equity Residential Price Performance

Shares of EQR opened at $71.40 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $70.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $72.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Equity Residential has a twelve month low of $59.48 and a twelve month high of $78.84. The company has a market cap of $27.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.91.

Equity Residential Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.6925 dividend. This is a boost from Equity Residential’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.77 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.88%. Equity Residential’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 101.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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, January 24th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Equity Residential from $78.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $82.25 price objective on Equity Residential in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Equity Residential from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equity Residential presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $78.51.

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.