Are Wall Street Analysts Predicting Equity Residential Stock Will Climb or Sink?

Core Viewpoint - Equity Residential (EQR) has significantly underperformed the broader market and industry benchmarks over the past year, with stock prices declining sharply despite some positive revenue growth in Q3 [2][3][4]. Company Performance - EQR's stock prices have dropped 16.9% year-to-date and 18.4% over the past 52 weeks, contrasting with the S&P 500 Index's gains of 16.5% in 2025 and 14.5% over the past year [2]. - The company's same-store residential revenues increased by 3% year-over-year, while overall topline revenue rose 4.6% to $748.3 million, exceeding consensus estimates by 13 basis points [4]. - Normalized funds from operations (NFFO) per share increased by 4.1% year-over-year to $1.02, aligning with market expectations [4]. Analyst Expectations - For the full fiscal year 2025, analysts project EQR to deliver an NFFO of $4 per share, reflecting a 2.8% year-over-year increase [5]. - EQR has a solid history of meeting or exceeding NFFO projections, having done so in each of the past four quarters [5]. - Among 27 analysts covering EQR, the consensus rating is a "Moderate Buy," consisting of 10 "Strong Buys," one "Moderate Buy," and 16 "Holds" [5]. Recent Developments - Following the release of mixed Q3 results, EQR's stock declined by 2.9% in the trading session [4]. - Analyst sentiment has slightly shifted, with Wells Fargo maintaining an "Equal-Weight" rating but lowering the price target from $68 to $62 [6].