Swiss National Bank Sells 48,500 Shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR)

Swiss National Bank cut its holdings in shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 963,850 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 48,500 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Equity Residential were worth $69,166,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Equity Residential by 607.8% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 361 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 310 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Equity Residential in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Equity Residential by 2,529.4% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 447 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 430 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equity Residential during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.68% of the company’s stock.

Equity Residential Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of Equity Residential stock opened at $68.93 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $26.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.34, a PEG ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.91. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $70.56 and its 200 day moving average is $72.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.36. Equity Residential has a one year low of $59.48 and a one year high of $78.84.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on EQR shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Equity Residential from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Equity Residential from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays lowered their target price on Equity Residential from $83.00 to $79.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 24th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Equity Residential from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $82.25 price objective on Equity Residential in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Equity Residential presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $78.51.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Ian Kaufman sold 642 shares of Equity Residential stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.06, for a total transaction of $46,262.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 25,539 shares in the company, valued at $1,840,340.34. This trade represents a 2.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott Fenster sold 5,340 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.06, for a total transaction of $384,800.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 35,507 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,558,634.42. The trade was a 13.07 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 19,763 shares of company stock valued at $1,424,217. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.