Home Compare EQR vs MAA
Stock Comparison · Industry comparison · REIT - Residential

Equity Residential vs Mid-America Apartment Communities: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Equity Residential holds the cleaner structural position, with profitability as the main driver and valuation adding further support. Both sides have seen trend damage — neither carries a clear market edge right now. With both trends damaged, the structural comparison carries most of the weight here.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

Most of the lead runs through profitability, while valuation helps make the separation broader. The overall score gap is 14 points in favour of Equity Residential.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: REIT - Residential

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. EQR and MAA share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how Equity Residential and MAA each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
EQR
Equity Residential
50
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
MAA
Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc.
36
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: EQR vs MAA Profitability 60 27 Stability 54 51 Valuation 59 42 Growth 19 26 EQR MAA
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +33
#2 Valuation +17
#3 Growth +7
#4 Stability +3
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for EQR and MAA Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer EQRMAA Relative valuation Structural strength

Equity Residential looks stronger both structurally and on relative valuation.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where EQR and MAA each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY EQR Neutral · below norm 0th 50th 100th 37 pct gap MAA Lower · above norm 0th 50th 100th 56th 19th
Today MAA sits in the lower portion of its own 5-year history (19th percentile), while EQR sits higher in its own history (56th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, MAA is at a historically more favourable entry position than EQR. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
On profitability, Equity Residential is positioned higher in the group, while Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. is closer to the middle.
Valuation
Both rank well on valuation, but Equity Residential still sits higher.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
EQR
60
MAA
27
Gap+33in favour of EQR

The clearest distance comes from a stronger profitability profile.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. still shows lower market-fundamental divergence, which keeps the wider picture mixed rather than completely one-sided.

What this means for the comparison

Profitability is the clearest driver, and valuation also supports Equity Residential's broader structural position.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the EQR vs MAA comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar profitability-driven comparisons

Explore how EQR and MAA each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.