Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Buys 4,674 Shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its stake in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) by 1.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 389,072 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,674 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in Equity Residential were worth $27,850,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 51.6% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 461 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new position in Equity Residential in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in Equity Residential by 27.6% in the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 740 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC increased its stake in Equity Residential by 38.8% in the fourth quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 765 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Equity Residential in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. 92.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Equity Residential Trading Up 0.1%

Equity Residential stock opened at $68.37 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Equity Residential has a 52 week low of $59.41 and a 52 week high of $78.84. The company has a market capitalization of $25.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.88. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $68.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $69.23.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.02. Equity Residential had a return on equity of 8.93% and a net margin of 33.11%. The firm had revenue of $760.81 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $769.43 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.93 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Equity Residential will post 3.98 EPS for the current year.

Equity Residential Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 24th were issued a dividend of $0.6925 per share. This represents a $2.77 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 24th. Equity Residential’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 105.73%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on EQR shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Scotiabank reduced their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $82.00 to $78.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 13th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $76.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Equity Residential in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $78.81.

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.