Versor Investments LP Reduces Stock Position in Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA)

Versor Investments LP trimmed its stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA) by 56.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,605 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 4,603 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP’s holdings in Mid-America Apartment Communities were worth $557,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Mid-America Apartment Communities in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Activest Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 37.2% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 251 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.60% of the company’s stock.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Price Performance

MAA stock opened at $168.29 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $19.67 billion, a PE ratio of 37.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $154.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $156.67. Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.73 and a 12-month high of $169.05.

Mid-America Apartment Communities (NYSE:MAA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by $1.19. Mid-America Apartment Communities had a return on equity of 8.53% and a net margin of 24.03%. As a group, research analysts predict that Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. will post 8.84 EPS for the current year.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th were paid a $1.515 dividend. This represents a $6.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 15th. This is an increase from Mid-America Apartment Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.47. Mid-America Apartment Communities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 135.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Mid-America Apartment Communities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Mid-America Apartment Communities from $157.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from $152.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $159.50 to $168.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from $163.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $167.00.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Company Profile

Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc is a real estate investment trust, which engages in the operation, acquisition, and development of apartment communities. It operates through the Same Store and Non-Same Store segments. The Same Store Communities segment represents those apartment communities that have been owned and stabilized for at least 12 months as of the first day of the calendar year.