B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Sells 3,400 Shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG trimmed its holdings in shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) by 12.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 23,287 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 3,400 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Equity Residential were worth $1,671,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Equity Residential by 607.8% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 361 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Equity Residential during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Continuum Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in Equity Residential by 109.5% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 551 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Equity Residential by 38.8% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 558 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. 92.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Equity Residential from $83.00 to $79.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Equity Residential from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Equity Residential from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com raised Equity Residential from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Equity Residential from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equity Residential has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $78.51.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equity Residential

In related news, COO Michael L. Manelis sold 9,487 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were 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 trade represents a 26.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Ian Kaufman sold 642 shares of Equity Residential stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.06, for a total transaction of $46,262.52. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 25,539 shares in the company, valued at $1,840,340.34. The trade was a 2.45 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 19,763 shares of company stock valued at $1,424,217. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Equity Residential Price Performance

EQR opened at $71.67 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $71.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $72.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.21 billion, a PE ratio of 26.35, a P/E/G ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.91. Equity Residential has a 52 week low of $59.48 and a 52 week high of $78.84. 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 Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.6925 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This is a boost from Equity Residential’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. This represents a $2.77 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.86%. Equity Residential’s payout ratio is 101.84%.

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.