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Is Equity Residential (EQR) The Best Self Storage and Apartment Stock to Invest In?

We recently compiled a list of the 12 Best Self Storage and Apartment Stocks to Invest In. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) stands against the other self-storage and apartment stocks.

In the US, the apartment and self-storage markets are adapting to changing economic conditions and consumer needs. Both markets play a crucial role in the economy and are expected to maintain growth trajectories driven by the demand for housing and storage solutions.

The demand for safe storage solutions is supported by lifestyle changes such as the increasing prevalence of remote work and downsizing among retirees. Additionally, the rise of e-commerce is further supporting this trend. As businesses downsize their space and individuals declutter their homes, there is a rising demand for self-storage solutions.

READ ALSO: 10 Unrivaled Stocks of the Next 5 Years and 10 Best Stocks to Buy and Hold For 2025.

According to Nuveen Real Estate, the US apartment market saw record supply growth in 2024. This made it challenging for apartment operators to grow rents and keep occupancy levels above the sector’s long-term average. Despite these challenges, the demand for apartments remains robust due to a housing shortage and a growing preference for renting, particularly among younger generations who prefer flexibility over owning a home.

The apartment market saw an increase in resident retention in 2024 compared to the previous year. Middle-income households are expected to continue driving the ongoing demand for rental properties in the foreseeable future.

Methodology

To compile our list of the 12 best self-storage and apartment stocks to invest in, we looked for the largest apartment and self-storage companies. We reviewed our own rankings, financial media reports, and various online resources including ETFs to compile a list of the best self-storage and apartment stocks. Next, we focused on the top 12 stocks most favored by institutional investors. Data for the hedge fund sentiment surrounding each stock was taken from Insider Monkey’s Q3 2024 database of 900 elite hedge funds. The 12 best self-storage and apartment stocks to invest in were then ranked in ascending order based on the number of hedge funds holding stakes in them as of Q3 2024.

Why do we care about what hedge funds do? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

An exterior shot of a newly acquired apartment building, signifying the company’s acquisition of large residential properties.

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 30

Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, develops, and manages residential and apartment properties in the United States. The company owns or has investments in 311 properties with more than 84,000 apartments. Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) has a strong presence in Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., Seattle, San Francisco, and Southern California, and a growing presence in Denver, Atlanta, Dallas/Ft. Worth, and Austin.

The company is strategically investing in newer, high-quality assets in high-growth expansion markets while also divesting from older properties in established markets. In 2024, Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) added almost $2 billion in high-quality assets to its Atlanta, Dallas, and Denver market portfolios. While these expansion markets may currently prove to be a little challenging due to high supply levels, Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) is optimistic about the opportunities these markets will bring from the expected strong rental growth in the future.

Overall, EQR ranks 5th on our list of the best self-storage and apartment stocks to invest in. While we acknowledge the potential of EQR as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than EQR but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and Complete List of 59 AI Companies Under $2 Billion in Market Cap.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.

AI, Tariffs, Nuclear Power: One Undervalued Stock Connects ALL the Dots (Before It Explodes!)

Artificial intelligence is the greatest investment opportunity of our lifetime. The time to invest in groundbreaking AI is now, and this stock is a steal!

AI is eating the world—and the machines behind it are ravenous.

Each ChatGPT query, each model update, each robotic breakthrough consumes massive amounts of energy. In fact, AI is already pushing global power grids to the brink.

Wall Street is pouring hundreds of billions into artificial intelligence—training smarter chatbots, automating industries, and building the digital future. But there’s one urgent question few are asking:

Where will all of that energy come from?

AI is the most electricity-hungry technology ever invented. Each data center powering large language models like ChatGPT consumes as much energy as a small city. And it’s about to get worse.

Even Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI, issued a stark warning:

“The future of AI depends on an energy breakthrough.”

Elon Musk was even more blunt:

“AI will run out of electricity by next year.”

As the world chases faster, smarter machines, a hidden crisis is emerging behind the scenes. Power grids are strained. Electricity prices are rising. Utilities are scrambling to expand capacity.

And that’s where the real opportunity lies…

One little-known company—almost entirely overlooked by most AI investors—could be the ultimate backdoor play. It’s not a chipmaker. It’s not a cloud platform. But it might be the most important AI stock in the US owns critical energy infrastructure assets positioned to feed the coming AI energy spike.

As demand from AI data centers explodes, this company is gearing up to profit from the most valuable commodity in the digital age: electricity.

The “Toll Booth” Operator of the AI Energy Boom

  • It owns critical nuclear energy infrastructure assets, positioning it at the heart of America’s next-generation power strategy.
  • It’s one of the only global companies capable of executing large-scale, complex EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) projects across oil, gas, renewable fuels, and industrial infrastructure.
  • It plays a pivotal role in U.S. LNG exportation—a sector about to explode under President Trump’s renewed “America First” energy doctrine.

Trump has made it clear: Europe and U.S. allies must buy American LNG.

And our company sits in the toll booth—collecting fees on every drop exported.

But that’s not all…

As Trump’s proposed tariffs push American manufacturers to bring their operations back home, this company will be first in line to rebuild, retrofit, and reengineer those facilities.

AI. Energy. Tariffs. Onshoring. This One Company Ties It All Together.

While the world is distracted by flashy AI tickers, a few smart investors are quietly scooping up shares of the one company powering it all from behind the scenes.

AI needs energy. Energy needs infrastructure.

And infrastructure needs a builder with experience, scale, and execution.

This company has its finger in every pie—and Wall Street is just starting to notice.

Wall Street is noticing this company also because it is quietly riding all of these tailwinds—without the sky-high valuation.

While most energy and utility firms are buried under mountains of debt and coughing up hefty interest payments just to appease bondholders…

This company is completely debt-free.

In fact, it’s sitting on a war chest of cash—equal to nearly one-third of its entire market cap.

It also owns a huge equity stake in another red-hot AI play, giving investors indirect exposure to multiple AI growth engines without paying a premium.

And here’s what the smart money has started whispering…

The Hedge Fund Secret That’s Starting to Leak Out

This stock is so off-the-radar, so absurdly undervalued, that some of the most secretive hedge fund managers in the world have begun pitching it at closed-door investment summits.

They’re sharing it quietly, away from the cameras, to rooms full of ultra-wealthy clients.

Why? Because excluding cash and investments, this company is trading at less than 7 times earnings.

And that’s for a business tied to:

  • The AI infrastructure supercycle
  • The onshoring boom driven by Trump-era tariffs
  • A surge in U.S. LNG exports
  • And a unique footprint in nuclear energy—the future of clean, reliable power

You simply won’t find another AI and energy stock this cheap… with this much upside.

This isn’t a hype stock. It’s not riding on hope.

It’s delivering real cash flows, owns critical infrastructure, and holds stakes in other major growth stories.

This is your chance to get in before the rockets take off!

Disruption is the New Name of the Game: Let’s face it, complacency breeds stagnation.

AI is the ultimate disruptor, and it’s shaking the foundations of traditional industries.

The companies that embrace AI will thrive, while the dinosaurs clinging to outdated methods will be left in the dust.

As an investor, you want to be on the side of the winners, and AI is the winning ticket.

The Talent Pool is Overflowing: The world’s brightest minds are flocking to AI.

From computer scientists to mathematicians, the next generation of innovators is pouring its energy into this field.

This influx of talent guarantees a constant stream of groundbreaking ideas and rapid advancements.

By investing in AI, you’re essentially backing the future.

The future is powered by artificial intelligence, and the time to invest is NOW.

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A New Dawn is Coming to U.S. Stocks

I work for one of the largest independent financial publishers in the world – representing over 1 million people in 148 countries.

We’re independently funding today’s broadcast to address something on the mind of every investor in America right now…

Should I put my money in Artificial Intelligence?

Here to answer that for us… and give away his No. 1 free AI recommendation… is 50-year Wall Street titan, Marc Chaikin.

Marc’s been a trader, stockbroker, and analyst. He was the head of the options department at a major brokerage firm and is a sought-after expert for CNBC, Fox Business, Barron’s, and Yahoo! Finance…

But what Marc’s most known for is his award-winning stock-rating system. Which determines whether a stock could shoot sky-high in the next three to six months… or come crashing down.

That’s why Marc’s work appears in every Bloomberg and Reuters terminal on the planet…

And is still used by hundreds of banks, hedge funds, and brokerages to track the billions of dollars flowing in and out of stocks each day.

He’s used this system to survive nine bear markets… create three new indices for the Nasdaq… and even predict the brutal bear market of 2022, 90 days in advance.

Click to continue reading…