Equity Residential (EQR)
Equity Residential is a major American landlord that owns and manages high-quality apartment buildings in busy, urban city centres.
Is Equity Residential a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: There's no rating here and nothing for sale. In its favour: Owns high-quality assets in desirable, supply-constrained cities. Worth weighing: High sensitivity to interest rate changes which affect borrowing costs. Below, we lay out what it does, what its numbers mean, and the honest risks, so you can decide for yourself.
Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
How much has Equity Residential actually fallen?
Over the last 2 years of daily prices, Equity Residential fell as much as −26% from a high to a later low. Drops of this size are a normal part of owning a share - worth knowing in advance, so a dip doesn't come as a shock.
Worst peak-to-trough fall in the daily closing price over the period we hold. Past falls are not a forecast - it can fall further, or recover.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
Long-term urbanisation continues to drive up property values.
Persistent high interest rates make borrowing costs too expensive.
What does Equity Residential do?
Think of Equity Residential as a professional landlord that focuses on renting out apartments in expensive, popular US cities like New York and San Francisco. Monthly rent gathered from thousands of tenants brings in the money, with well-maintained buildings keeping it flowing. How well they keep their apartments full, and whether they can keep nudging rents higher in a competitive housing market, is what to follow.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on quality and income, and weakest on growth.
- ✓Pays a dividend - about 4.2% a year
- ✓Growing - revenue up about 2% over the year
- ✓Very profitable - turns about 28% of sales into profit
- Owns high-quality assets in desirable, supply-constrained cities
- Provides a steady income stream through regular dividends
- Professional management with a long track record in the sector
- Value screens low (28/100)
- Growth screens low (12/100)
- Economic downturns could lead to higher tenant turnover
- Over-supply of new apartments in their key markets could limit rent growth
- Regulatory changes regarding rent control could impact future profits
What do Equity Residential's numbers mean?
How much money does Equity Residential make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Does Equity Residential pay a dividend?
Yes - Equity Residential currently pays a dividend of about 4.2% a year (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it.
What do the numbers say about Equity Residential's dividend?
There's no rating here, and we don't judge whether the dividend will continue - that would be advice. Here are the figures income investors usually look at, and what each one means, so you can weigh it up yourself.
Figures are from the latest available data and can be distorted by one-off results. Past payments don't predict future ones, and a dividend can be cut at any time. This lays out the numbers to help you understand them - it is not a view on what will happen.
When does Equity Residential report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
Equity Residential is next scheduled to report on about 2026-10-21 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
Each quarter a company reports its results against what analysts expected. ‘Beating’ or ‘missing’ is about that expectation, not whether the business is doing well in absolute terms.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-22 | $0.36 | $0.34 | Missed -5% |
| 2026-04-28 | $0.29 | $0.23 | Missed -20% |
| 2026-02-05 | $0.38 | $0.28 | Missed -25% |
| 2025-10-28 | $0.42 | $0.37 | Missed -11% |
| 2025-08-04 | $0.30 | $0.34 | Beat +13% |
| 2025-04-29 | $0.27 | $0.26 | Missed -5% |
Across the last 6 quarters here, Equity Residential came in ahead of what analysts expected 1 time. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Reported vs expected earnings per share (EPS) from published results; the expectation is the analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates that can move.
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Welltower Inc.What are the scenarios for Equity Residential?
An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros and cons of Equity Residential?
How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.
- Owns high-quality assets in desirable, supply-constrained cities
- Provides a steady income stream through regular dividends
- Professional management with a long track record in the sector
- High sensitivity to interest rate changes which affect borrowing costs
- Earnings growth has been negative recently
- Limited ability to quickly change the location of their properties
- Economic downturns could lead to higher tenant turnover
- Over-supply of new apartments in their key markets could limit rent growth
- Regulatory changes regarding rent control could impact future profits
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A sustained, significant drop in urban population growth
- A major shift in government policy that caps rental income across all their markets
Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-02 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.