National Pension Service Boosts Stake in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. $AVB

National Pension Service increased its position in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 20.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 274,838 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 46,683 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned 0.19% of AvalonBay Communities worth $49,831,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. BOKF NA purchased a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Fulcrum Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. 92.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Up 0.1%

AVB opened at $182.68 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $175.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $177.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The company has a market cap of $25.41 billion, a PE ratio of 26.48, a P/E/G ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.78. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 52 week low of $160.10 and a 52 week high of $209.86.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.33 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.80 by ($0.47). AvalonBay Communities had a net margin of 37.21% and a return on equity of 9.56%. The company had revenue of $770.28 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $768.80 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.83 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.31 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on AVB shares. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $203.00 target price (down from $208.00) on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on AvalonBay Communities from $193.00 to $191.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on AvalonBay Communities from $180.00 to $188.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on AvalonBay Communities from $191.00 to $189.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AvalonBay Communities has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $197.73.

AvalonBay Communities Profile

AvalonBay Communities, Inc (NYSE: AVB) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns, develops, redevelops and manages multifamily residential properties. The company focuses on professionally managed apartment communities, offering a range of rental housing options and related resident services. As a REIT, AvalonBay’s core activities center on the acquisition and development of apartment assets and the ongoing operations and leasing of those communities.

AvalonBay’s operating activities include ground-up development, strategic redevelopment of existing properties, property and asset management, and on-site leasing and resident services.