AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) Shares Bought by Vert Asset Management LLC

Vert Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 9.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 63,461 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,350 shares during the period. AvalonBay Communities comprises about 4.8% of Vert Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Vert Asset Management LLC’s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $13,960,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in AvalonBay Communities by 1.4% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,060,497 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $914,627,000 after purchasing an additional 55,588 shares in the last quarter. American Assets Capital Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,014,000. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 875.3% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 15,800 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $356,000 after buying an additional 14,180 shares during the period. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in AvalonBay Communities by 284.8% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 146,429 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $32,983,000 after buying an additional 108,371 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB grew its position in AvalonBay Communities by 46.6% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 34,791 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $7,837,000 after acquiring an additional 11,064 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.61% of the company’s stock.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AVB opened at $220.20 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 1-year low of $169.37 and a 1-year high of $239.29. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $223.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $221.26.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.61 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.71 by ($0.10). AvalonBay Communities had a net margin of 36.20% and a return on equity of 8.84%. The business had revenue of $734.31 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $731.67 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.66 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.04 earnings per share for the current year.

AvalonBay Communities Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $1.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.09%. AvalonBay Communities’s dividend payout ratio is currently 93.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley cut AvalonBay Communities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $236.00 to $223.00 in a report on Friday. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $243.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Mizuho raised shares of AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $239.00 to $242.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $247.00 to $262.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $234.00 to $233.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $234.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Timothy J. Naughton sold 2,261 shares of AvalonBay Communities stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.78, for a total transaction of $528,576.58. Following the transaction, the director now owns 111,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,051,508.08. This trade represents a 1.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About AvalonBay Communities

AvalonBay Communities, Inc is a real estate investment trust, which engages in the development, acquisition, ownership, and operation of multifamily communities. It operates through the following segments: Same Store, Other Stabilized, and Development or Redevelopment. The Same Store segment refers to the operating communities that were owned and had stabilized occupancy.