First Financial Bankshares Inc Boosts Holdings in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. $AVB

First Financial Bankshares Inc boosted its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 71.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 78,535 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 32,710 shares during the quarter. First Financial Bankshares Inc’s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $14,239,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its stake in 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 worth $29,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. BOKF NA purchased a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the second quarter valued at $36,000. 92.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AVB shares. Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $190.00 to $187.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $203.00 target price (down from $208.00) on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $193.00 to $191.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of AvalonBay Communities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of AvalonBay Communities from an “outperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $209.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AvalonBay Communities currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $198.44.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Down 1.1%

NYSE:AVB opened at $184.56 on Friday. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 1-year low of $160.10 and a 1-year high of $209.86. The company has a 50-day moving average of $179.51 and a 200 day moving average of $177.61. The firm has a market cap of $25.67 billion, a PE ratio of 26.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.33 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $770.28 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $768.80 million. During the same period last 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 fiscal year.

AvalonBay Communities Announces Dividend

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

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.