Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $166.92.

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $160.00 price target on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in a report on Friday. Scotiabank decreased their target price on Mid-America Apartment Communities from $174.00 to $173.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from $169.00 to $165.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Barclays began coverage on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $166.00 target price on the stock.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MAA opened at $148.25 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $156.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $153.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.09 and a quick ratio of 0.09. The company has a market cap of $17.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.91. Mid-America Apartment Communities has a 1-year low of $121.51 and a 1-year high of $167.39.

Mid-America Apartment Communities (NYSE:MAA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.18 by ($1.20). Mid-America Apartment Communities had a net margin of 23.84% and a return on equity of 8.38%. The firm had revenue of $551.13 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $548.53 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.29 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Mid-America Apartment Communities will post 8.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.515 per share. This is a boost from Mid-America Apartment Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.47. This represents a $6.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.09%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 15th. Mid-America Apartment Communities’s dividend payout ratio is currently 136.79%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mid-America Apartment Communities

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities during the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in the 3rd quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 252.3% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 391 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.60% of the company’s stock.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Company Profile

MAA, an S&P 500 company, is a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on delivering full-cycle and superior investment performance for shareholders through the ownership, management, acquisition, development and redevelopment of quality apartment communities primarily in the Southeast, Southwest and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.