Nan Fung Trinity HK Ltd. Reduces Holdings in Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR)

Nan Fung Trinity HK Ltd. lowered its holdings in shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 52,500 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 1,200 shares during the period. Equity Residential comprises 0.8% of Nan Fung Trinity HK Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Nan Fung Trinity HK Ltd.’s holdings in Equity Residential were worth $3,767,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vert Asset Management LLC increased its position in Equity Residential by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Vert Asset Management LLC now owns 150,245 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $10,782,000 after purchasing an additional 10,472 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. acquired a new position in Equity Residential in the third quarter valued at $923,000. Atomi Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Equity Residential by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,707 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $266,000 after buying an additional 284 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC grew its holdings in Equity Residential by 12.3% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 129,258 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $9,625,000 after buying an additional 14,109 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,008,341 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $298,461,000 after acquiring an additional 124,795 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.68% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on EQR shares. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $83.00 to $79.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. 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. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Equity Residential from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $83.00 to $79.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Equity Residential from $78.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $78.46.

Insider Activity at Equity Residential

In other Equity Residential news, EVP Scott Fenster sold 5,340 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 35,507 shares in the company, valued at $2,558,634.42. The trade was a 13.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Ian Kaufman sold 642 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was 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 owns 25,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,840,340.34. The trade was a 2.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 19,763 shares of company stock valued at $1,424,217. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Equity Residential Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE:EQR opened at $71.56 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.36. The company has a market capitalization of $27.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.93. Equity Residential has a one year low of $58.81 and a one year high of $78.83. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $70.44 and a 200 day simple moving average of $72.79.

Equity Residential Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were issued a $0.675 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $2.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.77%. Equity Residential’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 99.26%.

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.