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

Schroder Investment Management Group lowered its stake in shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) by 4.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,087,103 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 48,133 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group’s holdings in Equity Residential were worth $77,358,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of EQR. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 607.8% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 361 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Continuum Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position 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 worth $40,000 after buying an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. 92.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equity Residential Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EQR opened at $71.38 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.36. Equity Residential has a fifty-two week low of $59.48 and a fifty-two week high of $78.84. The stock has a market cap of $27.10 billion, a PE ratio of 26.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.91. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $70.95 and a 200-day moving average of $72.47.

Equity Residential Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EQR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Scotiabank increased their price target on Equity Residential from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on 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. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $82.25 price objective on shares of Equity Residential in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Equity Residential from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equity Residential presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $78.51.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Robert Garechana sold 4,294 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.06, for a total transaction of $309,425.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,108 shares in the company, valued at $1,016,622.48. The trade was a 23.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Ian Kaufman sold 642 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.06, for a total value of $46,262.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 25,539 shares in the company, valued at $1,840,340.34. This 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 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

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.