Equity Residential(US:EQR)2026-02-06 16:02Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - 2025 Same Store NOI results matched initial guidance, but the path to those results was not straightforward [5] - Portfolio occupancy currently over 96%, with significant improvement expected in supply conditions [9] - The company purchased approximately $206 million of its stock during Q4 and a total of $300 million in 2025 [11] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue results for Q4 reflect a physical occupancy of 96.4%, driven by solid demand and strong retention [16] - Blended rate growth of 0.5% in Q4 was driven by a strong renewal rate of 4.5%, offset by negative new lease rates in most markets except San Francisco [16] - Other income growth was slightly below expectations due to less income from bulk internet rollout and bad debt net improvement [16] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Strong rental growth was observed in coastal markets during the first half of 2025, followed by a deceleration in revenue momentum in the latter half, except for San Francisco and New York [6] - The D.C. market showed strength in the first half of 2025 but eroded later due to federal job cuts and uncertainty [24] - Atlanta is showing improved pricing power, while Denver is experiencing the worst performance among expansion markets [25] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company remains committed to a diversified portfolio strategy, investing in all 12 markets through renovations, acquisitions, and development activities [10] - The focus is on selling properties with lower forward return profiles to buy back stock, improving the growth rate of the existing portfolio [11] - The company plans to start some development projects in 2026, having acquired land parcels at the end of Q4 2025 [88] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management acknowledges a broad range of possible outcomes for the U.S. economy, particularly regarding job growth [7] - The company expects a significant improvement in the supply picture in the second half of 2026, which could lead to accelerated revenue growth [9] - Management remains optimistic about the forward prospects of the business, citing a decline in competitive new supply in their markets [12] Other Important Information - The company returned over $1.3 billion to shareholders in 2025 through dividends and stock repurchases [12] - The anticipated Same Store expense growth for 2026 is between 3%-4%, with controllable expenses expected to remain stable [28] - The company ended 2025 with a net debt to normalized EBITDAre of 4.3x, reflecting a strong balance sheet [35] Q&A Session All Questions and Answers Question: Can you talk about the assets you're selling and the fund that repurchases? - The assets being sold are typically older, non-core properties with higher CapEx loads, which are expected to improve the growth rate of the existing portfolio [38] Question: Can you provide more color on your comment around the renewals at 4.5%? - The renewals are expected to land around 4.5%, with confidence in the stability of the portfolio despite economic conditions [45] Question: On the 2026 supply outlook, can you give us some background on how you come up with your competitive supply set? - The company uses both data from providers and a boots-on-the-ground approach to evaluate competitive supply, confirming a meaningful decline in 2026 [50] Question: Are you factoring in regulatory costs when assessing different markets? - Yes, the company factors in litigation costs and biases its portfolio allocation away from markets with excessive regulatory costs [54] Question: What is the expected cadence of Same Store revenue growth through the year? - The cadence is expected to be steady, with the second half being stronger due to reduced competitive supply [85]