AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) Shares Sold by Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 246,318 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 5,013 shares during the period. AvalonBay Communities makes up approximately 1.0% of Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. owned 0.17% of AvalonBay Communities worth $54,183,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Savant Capital LLC lifted its position in AvalonBay Communities by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 1,264 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $278,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the fourth quarter worth about $309,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in AvalonBay Communities by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,575 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $566,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. acquired a new position in AvalonBay Communities in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,673,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its position in AvalonBay Communities by 10.7% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 46,233 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $10,170,000 after buying an additional 4,459 shares during the last quarter. 92.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at AvalonBay Communities

In other AvalonBay Communities news, Director Timothy J. Naughton sold 23,697 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.47, for a total value of $5,532,538.59. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 87,239 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,367,689.33. This represents a 21.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Performance

AVB opened at $220.23 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $31.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.02, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $220.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $222.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 52-week low of $169.37 and a 52-week high of $239.29.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.80 earnings per share 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $1.75 dividend. This is an increase from AvalonBay Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. AvalonBay Communities’s dividend payout ratio is currently 89.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on AVB. Mizuho raised shares of AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $239.00 to $242.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $243.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on AvalonBay Communities from $244.00 to $241.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $247.00 to $262.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $234.33.

AvalonBay Communities Profile

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.