Avestar Capital LLC Makes New $245,000 Investment in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

Avestar Capital LLC acquired a new stake in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,115 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $245,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AVB. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in AvalonBay Communities during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $51,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 59.9% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 478 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $105,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in AvalonBay Communities in the 3rd quarter valued at $126,000. 92.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AvalonBay Communities Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of AvalonBay Communities stock opened at $217.97 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $219.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $222.49. The company has a market capitalization of $31.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.72, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 12-month low of $172.85 and a 12-month high of $239.29.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.03). AvalonBay Communities had a net margin of 37.13% and a return on equity of 9.15%. On average, analysts forecast that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.21%. This is a boost from AvalonBay Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. AvalonBay Communities’s payout ratio is 89.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on AVB. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $247.00 to $262.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $243.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Scotiabank decreased their target price on AvalonBay Communities from $244.00 to $241.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Mizuho raised AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $239.00 to $242.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $235.73.

AvalonBay Communities Company Profile

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.