Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX) shares are trading higher after it inked a deal with Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR), which will acquire 11 apartment properties for around $964 million. Equity Residential will acquire the apartment properties from Blackstone Real Estate strategies, including Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, Blackstone Real Estate Partners, and Blackstone Property Partners. The portfolio includes four properties with 1,357 units in Atlanta, four properties with 1,237 units in Dallas/Ft. Worth, and three properties with 978 units in Denver. The transactions, subject to customary closing conditions, are expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2024. Alec Brackenridge, Equity Residential’s Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, said, “This transaction is a significant step in our goal ...