Leavell Investment Management Inc. Purchases 1,061 Shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA)

Leavell Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 107,133 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,061 shares during the period. Mid-America Apartment Communities accounts for approximately 0.8% of Leavell Investment Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Leavell Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Mid-America Apartment Communities were worth $16,559,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MAA. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in the third quarter worth $25,000. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in the third quarter worth $32,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in the third quarter worth $37,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in the third quarter worth $45,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 30.5% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 321 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. 93.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE MAA opened at $156.00 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $153.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $155.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market cap of $18.23 billion, a PE ratio of 34.82, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.91. Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. has a 12 month low of $121.51 and a 12 month high of $167.39.

Mid-America Apartment Communities (NYSE:MAA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.04 by $1.19. Mid-America Apartment Communities had a net margin of 24.03% and a return on equity of 8.53%. Equities research analysts forecast that Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. will post 8.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th were issued a dividend of $1.515 per share. This represents a $6.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.88%. This is a boost from Mid-America Apartment Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.47. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 15th. Mid-America Apartment Communities’s dividend payout ratio is presently 135.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on MAA. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $159.50 to $168.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com raised shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $160.00 price target on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from $174.00 to $164.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Mid-America Apartment Communities has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $166.00.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Profile

Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc is a real estate investment trust, which engages in the operation, acquisition, and development of apartment communities. It operates through the Same Store and Non-Same Store segments. The Same Store Communities segment represents those apartment communities that have been owned and stabilized for at least 12 months as of the first day of the calendar year.