Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) Shares Sold by ING Groep NV

ING Groep NV reduced its position in shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) by 4.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 43,606 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 2,023 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Equity Residential were worth $3,129,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of EQR. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Equity Residential during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Equity Residential during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 2,529.4% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 447 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 430 shares during the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equity Residential in the third quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust increased its stake in Equity Residential by 208.1% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 610 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 412 shares during the last quarter. 92.68% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equity Residential Trading Down 0.1 %

EQR opened at $71.56 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.93. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $70.44 and its 200-day moving average is $72.79. 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 52-week low of $58.81 and a 52-week high of $78.83.

Equity Residential Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were issued a $0.675 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $2.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.77%. Equity Residential’s dividend payout ratio is currently 99.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equity Residential

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on EQR shares. Barclays decreased their price target on Equity Residential from $83.00 to $79.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com raised shares of Equity Residential from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $83.00 to $79.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $82.25 price objective on Equity Residential in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $78.46.

Equity Residential Company 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.