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Data last updated: Oct 12, 2026
Snapshot (as of Oct 12, 2026): Equity Residential (EQR) pays a $2.79 annual dividend ($0.70 quarterly), yielding 0.04% at $63.66/share. Next ex-dividend date 2026-06-29. Source: Yahoo Finance, aggregated by MerryDiv.
Dividend Yield: 0.04%
Annual Dividend: $2.79 per share
Payout Ratio: 121.3%
Ex-Dividend Date: 2026-06-29
Dividend Frequency: quarterly
Sector: Real Estate
Years of Dividend History: 34
Equity Residential dividend income comes from one of the largest apartment REITs in the U.S., owning 312 rental properties with 85,520 units concentrated in major coastal markets. The current yield stands at 0.04%, well below what most income-focused investors target. EQR pays quarterly, with a trailing annual dividend of $2.79 per share and the next ex-dividend date set for June 29, 2026. With a beta of 0.749, EQR stock carries below-market price volatility, which appeals to investors who prioritize capital preservation over high current income.
Equity Residential pays out 121.3% of earnings as dividends, a payout ratio classified as high (above 75%). That figure exceeds 100%, meaning the dividend currently exceeds reported earnings, a pressure point that warrants attention when evaluating Equity Residential dividend safety. The company's portfolio of 85,520 apartment units in high-demand coastal and growth metros provides recurring rental revenue, but a payout ratio above earnings leaves little buffer if occupancy or rental income softens.
Equity Residential dividend history shows a CAGR of 2.1% per year from 2008 to 2025. Per-share payments grew from $1.93 to $2.7525 over that span (2026 is a partial year and excluded from the CAGR calculation). The dividend did experience at least one year-over-year decline exceeding 5% within the window, and the largest single-year jump was 489.1% in 2016, which reflects a special or variable distribution rather than organic growth. Growth is slow by most dividend investor standards.
| 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 dividend investors who want exposure to large-scale residential real estate with below-average price volatility, and who are not depending on the dividend for meaningful current income. The yield classification is low (below 2%), and at 0.04% today, it sits far below the 5-year average yield of 3.85%, which signals the current price has moved well ahead of the income the stock generates. The payout ratio above 100% adds another layer of caution on sustainability. What an investor gets here is a large, geographically diversified apartment portfolio with modest dividend growth; what they give up is a competitive income stream.
| Payment Date | Amount per Share |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-05 | $0.7025 |
| 2026-06-29 | $0.7025 |
| 2026-03-30 | $0.7025 |
| 2026-01-02 | $0.6925 |
| 2025-09-25 | $0.6925 |
| 2025-06-24 | $0.6925 |
| 2025-03-31 | $0.6925 |
| 2025-01-02 | $0.6750 |
| 2024-09-24 | $0.6750 |
| 2024-07-01 | $0.6750 |
| Year | Total Dividends |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $2.8000 |
| 2025 | $2.7525 |
| 2024 | $2.0250 |
| 2023 | $2.6500 |
| 2022 | $2.5000 |
Project income from EQR with the EQR dividend calculator or track your full portfolio with the dividend tracker.