AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) Shares Sold by AGF Management Ltd.

AGF Management Ltd. lessened its position in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 83.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,759 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 14,328 shares during the quarter. AGF Management Ltd.’s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $607,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AVB. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in AvalonBay Communities during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in AvalonBay Communities during the third quarter worth about $39,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in AvalonBay Communities during the third quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in AvalonBay Communities by 312.5% during the 4th quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 363 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. 92.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AVB has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays lowered their target price on AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $226.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $247.00 to $262.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of AvalonBay Communities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $236.00 to $223.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $238.64.

AvalonBay Communities Trading Up 0.8 %

AVB opened at $209.55 on Friday. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 52 week low of $177.40 and a 52 week high of $239.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $218.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $223.38. The firm has a market cap of $29.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.61, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.00.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.80 EPS 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 earnings per share for the current year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from AvalonBay Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.34%. AvalonBay Communities’s dividend payout ratio is 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.