First Financial Bankshares Inc Buys 32,710 Shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. $AVB

First Financial Bankshares Inc grew its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 71.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 78,535 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 32,710 shares during the period. First Financial Bankshares Inc owned 0.06% of AvalonBay Communities worth $14,239,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AVB. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 160 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. BOKF NA bought a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 92.61% of the company’s stock.

AvalonBay Communities Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of AVB opened at $184.56 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $179.51 and its 200 day moving average is $177.61. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $160.10 and a fifty-two week high of $209.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.67 billion, a PE ratio of 26.75, a P/E/G ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.62.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.80 by ($0.47). The business had revenue of $770.28 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $768.80 million. AvalonBay Communities had a return on equity of 9.56% and a net margin of 37.21%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.83 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AvalonBay Communities Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.78 per share. This represents a $7.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. AvalonBay Communities’s payout ratio is presently 103.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AVB shares. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $203.00 price objective (down from $208.00) on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $206.00 to $203.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $193.00 to $191.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from an “outperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $209.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $198.44.

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.