Whipplewood Advisors LLC Invests $36,000 in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 163 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $36,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AVB. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in AvalonBay Communities during the third quarter valued at $39,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the third quarter valued at about $51,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 312.5% during the fourth quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 363 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $80,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 59.9% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 478 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.61% of the company’s stock.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Up 1.4 %

AVB stock opened at $226.17 on Friday. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a one year low of $174.46 and a one year high of $239.29. The firm has a market cap of $32.17 billion, a PE ratio of 29.80, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $218.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $223.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 1.64.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last posted 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 research analysts anticipate that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 EPS for the current year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $1.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is a boost from AvalonBay Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.10%. AvalonBay Communities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 92.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

About AvalonBay Communities

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.