Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Sells 12,500 Shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund decreased its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 32.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 26,571 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 12,500 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $5,845,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AVB. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in AvalonBay Communities during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in AvalonBay Communities during the third quarter worth about $51,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in AvalonBay Communities by 312.5% during the fourth 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 during the period. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 59.9% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 478 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $105,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.61% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $247.00 to $262.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $270.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Mizuho raised shares of AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $239.00 to $242.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target 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. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AvalonBay Communities currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $238.64.

AvalonBay Communities Price Performance

Shares of AvalonBay Communities stock opened at $221.12 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.45 billion, a PE ratio of 29.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 12 month low of $172.85 and a 12 month high of $239.29. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $218.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $223.15.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.17%. This is an increase from AvalonBay Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. AvalonBay Communities’s payout ratio is presently 89.59%.

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.