AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) Holdings Increased by Smartleaf Asset Management LLC

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 10.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,784 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 255 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $612,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AVB. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 312.5% in the 4th 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. 92.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Performance

Shares of AVB opened at $228.15 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $218.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $223.59. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 52 week low of $177.40 and a 52 week high of $239.29. The company has a market capitalization of $32.45 billion, a PE ratio of 30.06, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.99. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. Research analysts expect that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $1.75 dividend. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.07%. This is an increase from AvalonBay Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. AvalonBay Communities’s payout ratio is currently 92.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on AVB. Scotiabank dropped their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $244.00 to $241.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $236.00 to $223.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Evercore ISI boosted 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. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AvalonBay Communities currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.