Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. Grows Stake in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR)

Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. boosted its stake in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) by 50.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,950 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 9,376 shares during the quarter. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C.’s holdings in Equity Residential were worth $2,006,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of EQR. Huntington National Bank lifted its position in shares of Equity Residential by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,003 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $215,000 after acquiring an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Equity Residential in the 4th quarter valued at $71,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Equity Residential by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,519,627 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $681,594,000 after purchasing an additional 165,683 shares during the last quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Equity Residential during the fourth quarter worth $32,664,000. Finally, O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Equity Residential by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 77,973 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $5,595,000 after buying an additional 1,844 shares during the last quarter. 92.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equity Residential Price Performance

EQR stock opened at $63.69 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $70.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $72.25. Equity Residential has a 12-month low of $59.48 and a 12-month high of $78.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a market capitalization of $24.18 billion, a PE ratio of 23.42, a P/E/G ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.91.

Equity Residential Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.6925 per share. This represents a $2.77 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is a boost from Equity Residential’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. Equity Residential’s dividend payout ratio is currently 101.84%.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $78.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Scotiabank increased their price target on Equity Residential from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Equity Residential from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Equity Residential from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $83.00 to $79.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $78.51.

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.