Ieq Capital LLC Buys 2,145 Shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

Ieq Capital LLC boosted its stake in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 79.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,828 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,145 shares during the quarter. Ieq Capital LLC’s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $1,062,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AVB. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in AvalonBay Communities in the third quarter valued at $39,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in AvalonBay Communities during the third quarter valued at about $51,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in AvalonBay Communities by 312.5% during 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. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in AvalonBay Communities by 59.9% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 478 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. 92.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Up 1.0 %

NYSE AVB opened at $221.12 on Tuesday. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 1 year low of $172.85 and a 1 year high of $239.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.45 billion, a PE ratio of 29.13, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.99. 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 business’s 50-day moving average is $218.63 and its 200 day moving average is $223.15.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last issued 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 return on equity of 9.15% and a net margin of 37.13%. Sell-side analysts forecast that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 earnings per share for the current 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 dividend of $1.75 per share. This is an increase from AvalonBay Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. AvalonBay Communities’s payout ratio is presently 89.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on AVB shares. Mizuho upgraded AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $239.00 to $242.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of AvalonBay Communities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $236.00 to $223.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AvalonBay Communities has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $238.64.

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.