Forsta AP Fonden Lowers Position in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

Forsta AP Fonden lowered its holdings in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 48,200 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $10,603,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AVB. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 678.9% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,715,050 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $386,315,000 after buying an additional 1,494,872 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in AvalonBay Communities in the third quarter worth about $581,960,000. State Street Corp boosted its stake in AvalonBay Communities by 2.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,245,028 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,097,971,000 after acquiring an additional 196,938 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 958.9% during the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 172,618 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $38,882,000 after acquiring an additional 156,316 shares during the period. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP purchased a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,256,000. Institutional investors own 92.61% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at AvalonBay Communities

In related news, Director Timothy J. Naughton sold 23,697 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was 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 $20,367,689.33. The trade was a 21.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered AvalonBay Communities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $236.00 to $223.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on AvalonBay Communities from $234.00 to $233.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Scotiabank dropped their price objective 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. Mizuho upgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $239.00 to $242.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $243.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 24th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AvalonBay Communities presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $234.60.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of NYSE AVB opened at $219.59 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $222.37 and a 200-day moving average of $221.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.04, a PEG ratio of 2.98 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 0.70. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 12 month low of $169.37 and a 12 month high of $239.29.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.61 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by ($0.10). AvalonBay Communities had a return on equity of 8.84% and a net margin of 36.20%. The company had revenue of $734.31 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $731.67 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.66 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AvalonBay Communities Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $1.70 per share. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. AvalonBay Communities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 93.02%.

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.