Not a good buy right now for an impatient investor: price is sitting at/near immediate resistance (~63.08) ahead of earnings, with options positioning skewed bearish.
Upside exists if earnings/guide surprises, but the setup is more “event risk” than “clean breakout” at this level.
Short-term momentum is improving: MACD histogram is positive (0.112) and expanding, which supports a near-term uptrend attempt.
RSI(6) ~66: approaching overbought but still “neutral-to-warm,” implying upside is possible but momentum is getting stretched.
Moving averages are converging: suggests consolidation/decision point rather than a strong established trend.
Key levels: Pivot ~61.99. Immediate resistance at R1 ~63.08 (current ~63.08) and then R2 ~63.76. Support at S1 ~60.89.
Pattern-based odds provided: modest next-day upside bias, but a slightly negative next-week expectation (event/mean-reversion risk into earnings).
Options Data
Bearish
Open Interest Put-Call Ratio
Bearish
Option Volume Put-Call Ratio
Put-heavy positioning: Put OI 5762 vs Call OI 2290 (OI PCR 2.52) signals cautious-to-bearish sentiment/hedging.
Put volume also outweighs calls (volume PCR 1.65), reinforcing defensive positioning into the event.
Volatility is elevated: 30D IV ~26.17 vs historical vol ~22.27, and IV percentile ~89—market is pricing a meaningful move (often tied to earnings).
Today’s options activity is elevated vs averages (volume vs 30D avg ~38.9; OI build notable), consistent with pre-earnings positioning rather than a calm trend-following setup.
Technical Summary
Sell
3
Buy
9
Positive Catalysts
Prior bullish takes still exist: UBS keeps Buy and sees a 2026 REIT “turnaround” backdrop; some targets remain well above spot (low-to-high 70s).
showed strong YoY profit/EPS growth, supporting the quality/defensive REIT narrative.
Neutral/Negative Catalysts
Event risk is immediate: buying right before earnings with elevated IV and bearish put skew is an unfavorable timing setup for an impatient buyer.
Analyst tone has softened recently: multiple downgrades/target trims (Deutsche to Hold $63; BMO to Market Perform; several PT cuts), pressuring near-term sentiment.
Industry/macro concerns cited by analysts: cooling employment trends, affordability strain in coastal markets, and potential straight-line rent receivable write-offs (Saks exposure mentioned).
No supportive “fresh news” flow in the past week to counterbalance the cautious positioning.
Gross margin: 63.38%, -0.30% YoY (slight margin compression, but still high for the model).
Growth
Profitability
Efficiency
Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends
Recent trend: more cautious overall—multiple downgrades/price target reductions since Nov 2025 through Jan 2026.
Key changes: Deutsche Bank downgraded to Hold with a $63 PT (near current price); BMO downgraded to Market Perform ($68). Several firms cut PTs (e.g., Barclays, Wells, Morgan Stanley, Truist).
Wall Street pros: defensive REIT exposure, potential 2026 total return setup if macro/supply pressure eases, and recent strong profitability.
Wall Street cons: near-term fundamentals may soften (jobs/affordability), event-driven accounting risk (Saks exposure), and current price is already near the most cautious PTs (~$62–$63), limiting immediate “easy upside” without a strong earnings catalyst.
Wall Street analysts forecast EQR stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for EQR is 70.87 USD with a low forecast of 60.95 USD and a high forecast of 80 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
14 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast EQR stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for EQR is 70.87 USD with a low forecast of 60.95 USD and a high forecast of 80 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
7 Buy
7 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 61.770
Low
60.95
Averages
70.87
High
80
Current: 61.770
Low
60.95
Averages
70.87
High
80
Stifel
Buy
to
Buy
downgrade
AI Analysis
2026-02-06
New
Reason
Stifel
Price Target
AI Analysis
2026-02-06
New
downgrade
Buy
to
Buy
Reason
Stifel lowered the firm's price target on Equity Residential to $78.50 from $79.75 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares.
Piper Sandler
Overweight -> Overweight
downgrade
$80 -> $78
2026-01-27
Reason
Piper Sandler
Price Target
$80 -> $78
2026-01-27
downgrade
Overweight -> Overweight
Reason
Piper Sandler lowered the firm's price target on Equity Residential to $78 from $80 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares following the firm's apartment industry note last week. Piper is also highlighting the potential for straight-line rent receivable write-offs in Q4 from REITs with Saks exposure, given the bankruptcy filing.
Unlock Full Analyst Thesis, Get the complete breakdown of rating reason for EQR