LDR Capital Management LLC Buys 795 Shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

LDR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 9.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,474 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 795 shares during the period. AvalonBay Communities accounts for 2.8% of LDR Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. LDR Capital Management LLC’s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $2,084,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AVB. Tectonic Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 1,934 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $436,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in AvalonBay Communities by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,244 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $280,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its stake in AvalonBay Communities by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 1,094 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $231,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. MAI Capital Management boosted its stake in AvalonBay Communities by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 3,633 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $818,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its stake in AvalonBay Communities by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 2,015 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $454,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.61% of the company’s stock.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AVB opened at $218.78 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $218.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $222.86. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 12-month low of $172.85 and a 12-month high of $239.29. The firm has a market cap of $31.12 billion, a PE ratio of 28.82, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.99. 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 (NYSE:AVB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.83 by ($0.03). AvalonBay Communities had a return on equity of 9.15% and a net margin of 37.13%. Equities research analysts predict that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 earnings per share for the current year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $1.75 per share. This is a positive change from AvalonBay Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.20%. AvalonBay Communities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 92.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AVB. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of AvalonBay Communities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $236.00 to $223.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Scotiabank cut their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $244.00 to $241.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Mizuho raised shares of AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $239.00 to $242.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $226.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AvalonBay Communities currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $235.47.

AvalonBay Communities Company 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.