AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) Shares Sold by ING Groep NV

ING Groep NV lessened its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,143 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 852 shares during the period. ING Groep NV’s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $3,991,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AVB. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the third quarter worth $26,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in AvalonBay Communities in the third quarter valued at $39,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in AvalonBay Communities during the 3rd quarter worth about $51,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 59.9% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 478 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $105,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. 92.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AvalonBay Communities Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of AVB stock opened at $218.78 on Friday. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a twelve month low of $172.85 and a twelve month high of $239.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The business’s 50 day moving average is $218.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $222.96. The company has a market capitalization of $31.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.99.

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

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors 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 represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.20%. This is an increase from AvalonBay Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. AvalonBay Communities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 89.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AVB has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $244.00 to $241.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $226.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $247.00 to $262.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered AvalonBay Communities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $236.00 to $223.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.