AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) Position Boosted by HighPoint Advisor Group LLC

HighPoint Advisor Group LLC increased its position in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,980 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $434,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in AvalonBay Communities during the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the fourth quarter worth $66,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 312.5% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P grew its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 42.6% during the 4th quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 442 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $97,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. 92.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AVB shares. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $270.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Zelman & Associates upgraded AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $247.00 to $262.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $236.00 to $223.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $226.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AvalonBay Communities currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $238.64.

AvalonBay Communities Price Performance

NYSE AVB opened at $216.01 on Thursday. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 1 year low of $177.40 and a 1 year high of $239.29. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $217.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $222.09. The company has a market cap of $30.73 billion, a PE ratio of 28.46, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last issued its quarterly 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 net margin of 37.13% and a return on equity of 9.15%. On average, analysts predict that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 EPS for the current year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.75 per share. 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.24%. AvalonBay Communities’s payout ratio is currently 92.23%.

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.