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Data last updated: Aug 31, 2026
Snapshot (as of Aug 31, 2026): Equity Residential (EQR) pays a $2.79 annual dividend ($0.70 quarterly), yielding 4.38% at $63.66/share. Next ex-dividend date 2026-06-29. Source: Yahoo Finance, aggregated by MerryDiv.
Dividend Yield: 4.38%
Annual Dividend: $2.79 per share
Payout Ratio: 120.3%
Ex-Dividend Date: 2026-06-29
Dividend Frequency: quarterly
Sector: Real Estate
Years of Dividend History: 34
Equity Residential owns and operates 78,568 apartment units across 305 properties in high-demand urban markets including Boston, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle. The Equity Residential dividend currently yields 4.38%, placing it in high-yield territory for a residential REIT. EQR pays quarterly, with a trailing annual rate of $2.79 per share and a next ex-dividend date of June 29, 2026. A beta of 0.749 means EQR stock moves less than the broader market, which suits income-focused investors who prioritize lower volatility.
Equity Residential pays out 120.3% of earnings as dividends, a payout ratio classified as high (above 75%). For a REIT, payout ratios above 100% are not automatically alarming since earnings-based metrics can understate cash available for dividends, and EQR's portfolio of 78,568 apartment units in high-demand metro markets provides a broad base of rental income. That said, Equity Residential dividend safety faces real pressure at this payout level: any meaningful drop in occupancy or rental income across its key markets could strain the dividend without much buffer.
Equity Residential dividend history shows a CAGR of 2.1% per year from 2008 to 2025. Per-share, that translates from $1.932 to $2.754 over the period (with 2026 a partial year and excluded from this calculation). The dividend did decline in at least one year within the window, and the largest single-year swing was a 488.7% jump in 2016, which reflects a special or variable distribution rather than organic growth. Strip that out, and the underlying growth rate is slow.
| Period | CAGR | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-Year | +3.3% | $2.50 (2022) | $2.75 (2025) |
| 5-Year | +2.7% | $2.41 (2020) | $2.75 (2025) |
| 10-Year | +2.2% | $2.21 (2015) | $2.75 (2025) |
EQR fits income-focused investors who want above-average yield from a large, geographically diversified apartment portfolio. At 4.38%, the current yield sits above its 5-year average of 3.88%, meaning buyers today are getting more income than the historical norm. The trade-off is a payout ratio of 120.3%, which leaves little room for error, and a dividend growth rate of just 2.1% per year. This is a yield-now story, not a dividend growth story. The stock's high (above 4%) yield and low beta of 0.749 define its appeal: meaningful income with below-market price swings, offset by a stretched payout and modest growth.
| Payment Date | Amount per Share |
|---|---|
| 2026-06-29 | $0.7025 |
| 2026-03-30 | $0.7030 |
| 2026-01-02 | $0.6930 |
| 2025-09-25 | $0.6930 |
| 2025-06-24 | $0.6930 |
| 2025-03-31 | $0.6930 |
| 2025-01-02 | $0.6750 |
| 2024-09-24 | $0.6750 |
| 2024-07-01 | $0.6750 |
| 2024-03-22 | $0.6750 |
| Year | Total Dividends |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $2.0985 |
| 2025 | $2.7540 |
| 2024 | $2.0250 |
| 2023 | $2.6520 |
| 2022 | $2.5000 |
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