Natixis Advisors LLC Raises Stake in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

Natixis Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 13.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 74,376 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,672 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.05% of AvalonBay Communities worth $16,360,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in AvalonBay Communities during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AvalonBay Communities during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the third quarter worth $39,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the third quarter worth $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 worth $80,000 after buying an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.61% of the company’s stock.

AvalonBay Communities Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of AVB opened at $209.98 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 1.64. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $177.40 and a fifty-two week high of $239.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.87 billion, a PE ratio of 27.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.00. The company’s fifty day moving average is $217.98 and its 200 day moving average is $223.21.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 37.13% and a return on equity of 9.15%. Sell-side analysts expect that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $1.75 per share. This is a boost from AvalonBay Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.33%. AvalonBay Communities’s payout ratio is 92.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on AVB shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of 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. Mizuho raised shares of AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $239.00 to $242.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $270.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $226.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.