AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) Shares Bought by Savant Capital LLC

Savant Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 8.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,264 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $278,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of AVB. Creative Planning raised its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 9,004 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,028,000 after buying an additional 408 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in AvalonBay Communities by 115.2% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,668 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $552,000 after buying an additional 1,428 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in AvalonBay Communities by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 7,776 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,752,000 after buying an additional 263 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its holdings in AvalonBay Communities by 147.8% during the 3rd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 721 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $162,000 after buying an additional 430 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Foundations Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AvalonBay Communities during the 3rd quarter valued at $210,000. 92.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on AVB shares. Scotiabank lowered their target price on AvalonBay Communities from $244.00 to $241.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $247.00 to $262.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut AvalonBay Communities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $236.00 to $223.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AvalonBay Communities presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $235.73.

AvalonBay Communities Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE:AVB opened at $217.94 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $219.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $222.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.64. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 12 month low of $172.85 and a 12 month high of $239.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.00 billion, a PE ratio of 28.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.99.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 37.13% and a return on equity of 9.15%. Research analysts predict that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The business 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 $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from AvalonBay Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. AvalonBay Communities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 89.59%.

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.