Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) Shares Acquired by O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 77,973 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,844 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Equity Residential were worth $5,595,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 607.8% in 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 in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Continuum Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Equity Residential during the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Equity Residential by 38.8% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 558 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Equity Residential by 109.5% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 551 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. 92.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equity Residential Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EQR opened at $71.26 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $71.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $72.38. The company has a market cap of $27.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.91. Equity Residential has a 12-month low of $59.48 and a 12-month high of $78.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Equity Residential Increases Dividend

The firm 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 $0.6925 dividend. This is an increase from Equity Residential’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. This represents a $2.77 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.89%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Equity Residential’s dividend payout ratio is currently 101.84%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Equity Residential news, CAO Ian Kaufman sold 642 shares of the company’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 $46,262.52. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 25,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,840,340.34. This represents a 2.45 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Robert Garechana sold 4,294 shares of Equity Residential stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.06, for a total transaction of $309,425.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,016,622.48. This trade represents a 23.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 19,763 shares of company stock valued at $1,424,217. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus set a $82.25 price objective on shares of Equity Residential in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Equity Residential from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Equity Residential from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com raised Equity Residential from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, Barclays dropped 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $78.51.

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.