AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $238.64.

AVB has been the topic of several research reports. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Zelman & Associates upgraded AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Scotiabank dropped their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $244.00 to $241.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $270.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $226.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Performance

Shares of AVB stock opened at $207.45 on Friday. AvalonBay Communities has a fifty-two week low of $177.40 and a fifty-two week high of $239.29. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $218.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $223.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.64. The firm has a market cap of $29.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.33, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.00.

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

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $1.75 per share. This is a positive change 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 3.37%. AvalonBay Communities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 92.23%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Old North State Trust LLC acquired a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the fourth quarter worth $200,000. Probity Advisors Inc. grew its position in AvalonBay Communities by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Probity Advisors Inc. now owns 2,017 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $444,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH increased its holdings in AvalonBay Communities by 153.7% in the 4th quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 6,294 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,384,000 after purchasing an additional 3,813 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in AvalonBay Communities in the fourth quarter valued at about $78,759,000. Finally, Employees Retirement System of Texas boosted its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas now owns 84,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $18,477,000 after purchasing an additional 7,300 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.61% of the company’s stock.

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.