AvalonBay Communities, Inc. $AVB Shares Acquired by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. lifted its position in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 16.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,788 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 2,715 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $3,069,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 18,031.0% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 11,785,150 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $213,677,000 after purchasing an additional 11,720,150 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in AvalonBay Communities in the 4th quarter valued at $1,394,635,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 15,065.6% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,801,071 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $326,552,000 after buying an additional 1,789,195 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in AvalonBay Communities by 76.0% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,355,838 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $455,077,000 after acquiring an additional 1,017,286 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 22.4% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,159,950 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $935,551,000 after purchasing an additional 944,129 shares during the period. 92.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AvalonBay Communities Price Performance

AVB stock opened at $191.92 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $27.26 billion, a PE ratio of 27.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.77. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $186.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $178.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 52-week low of $160.10 and a 52-week high of $205.00.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.33 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.80 by ($0.47). AvalonBay Communities had a return on equity of 9.56% and a net margin of 37.21%.The firm had revenue of $770.28 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $768.80 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.83 EPS. Analysts predict that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AvalonBay Communities Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $1.78 per share. This represents a $7.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. AvalonBay Communities’s payout ratio is 103.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on AVB shares. Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $205.00 price target (up from $203.00) on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a report on Tuesday. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $186.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on AvalonBay Communities from $187.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $203.00 price target (down from $208.00) on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $195.80.

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.