Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Has $13.21 Million Stake in Equity Residential $EQR

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its position in shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) by 32.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 204,060 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 49,985 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Equity Residential were worth $13,209,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in EQR. Collier Financial bought a new stake in Equity Residential during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. CVA Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of Equity Residential by 425.3% in the second quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 415 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 336 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Equity Residential by 434.7% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 540 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 439 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC grew its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 1,000.0% in the second quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 660 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Equity Residential by 203.5% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 780 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 523 shares during the period. 92.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Equity Residential News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Equity Residential this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $71 (maintained a “neutral” rating), giving institutional support that can attract buyers. Goldman Sachs Adjusts Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Independent analysts (Evercore ISI, Cantor Fitzgerald) published bullish price-appreciation forecasts, adding more analyst-level conviction that could support the share price over time. Evercore ISI Forecast Cantor Fitzgerald Forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Operational note: management reported benefits from AI and automation in 2025, which could reduce operating costs and improve margins over time. AI & Automation Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent quarter was mixed — a very small EPS miss (~$0.01) and modest revenue growth; management provided Q1 and FY 2026 EPS guidance (Q1: $0.94–$0.98; FY: $4.02–$4.14), which sets expectations but is not a fresh catalyst. EQR Earnings & Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend remains attractive (~4.3% yield) for income investors, but the payout ratio (~95%) limits room for further increases and is a structural consideration.
• Negative Sentiment: A wave of insider selling by senior executives (EVPs and the COO) on Feb. 10–11 has been reported and called out by coverage services; coordinated sells often spook traders and can create short-term downward pressure. TipRanks Insider Article
• Negative Sentiment: SEC Form 4 filings confirm material disposals by named insiders (e.g., Garechana, Manelis, Carraway), amplifying the negative signal for short-term traders watching insider flows. Garechana Form 4

Equity Residential Stock Down 2.5%

NYSE EQR opened at $63.06 on Friday. Equity Residential has a 1-year low of $58.38 and a 1-year high of $75.86. The company has a market capitalization of $23.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.52, a PEG ratio of 4.86 and a beta of 0.76. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $61.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.04 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $781.91 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $786.35 million. Equity Residential had a return on equity of 9.98% and a net margin of 36.20%.Equity Residential’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.00 EPS. Equity Residential has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.940-0.980 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.020-4.140 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Equity Residential will post 3.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equity Residential Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd were issued a $0.6925 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $2.77 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.4%. Equity Residential’s dividend payout ratio is presently 94.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Equity Residential news, COO Michael L. Manelis sold 5,765 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total transaction of $375,474.45. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 46,131 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,004,512.03. This represents a 11.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Robert Garechana sold 3,637 shares of Equity Residential stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.13, for a total transaction of $236,877.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,740 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,220,536.20. This trade represents a 16.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 10,058 shares of company stock worth $655,078 in the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on EQR shares. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $68.00 to $65.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $66.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Equity Residential from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $63.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $78.00 price objective on shares of Equity Residential in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $78.50 price objective on Equity Residential in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Equity Residential presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.68.

Equity Residential Company Profile

Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust that acquires, develops, owns and operates rental apartment properties. Headquartered in Chicago, the company focuses on delivering professionally managed, market-rate apartment homes and related services to renters. Its operations cover a range of property types, including high-rise and mid-rise assets, with amenities and on-site management designed to support resident retention and occupancy.

The company’s core activities include property acquisitions, development and redevelopment, leasing, and day-to-day property management.