Lbp Am Sa Acquires 41,806 Shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

Lbp Am Sa boosted its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 490.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 50,330 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 41,806 shares during the period. Lbp Am Sa’s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $11,071,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in AvalonBay Communities during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the third quarter valued at about $39,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the third quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 312.5% in the fourth quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 363 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. 92.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AvalonBay Communities Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AVB opened at $209.55 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $218.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $223.38. The company has a market cap of $29.81 billion, a PE ratio of 27.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.00. 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 twelve month low of $177.40 and a twelve month high of $239.29.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.03). AvalonBay Communities had a return on equity of 9.15% and a net margin of 37.13%. On average, analysts predict that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 EPS for the current year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $1.75 dividend. This is an increase from AvalonBay Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.34%. AvalonBay Communities’s dividend payout ratio is presently 92.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AVB has been the topic of a number of research reports. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Zelman & Associates upgraded AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays cut their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $226.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered AvalonBay Communities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price target for the company from $236.00 to $223.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AvalonBay Communities currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $238.64.

AvalonBay Communities 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.