Brokerages Set AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) PT at $235.73

AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the sixteen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $235.47.

AVB has been the subject of several recent research reports. Zelman & Associates upgraded AvalonBay Communities from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley lowered 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 report on Friday, January 24th. Scotiabank dropped their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $244.00 to $241.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $226.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AVB. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in AvalonBay Communities by 1,666.7% during the 4th quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 159 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in AvalonBay Communities during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the third quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.61% of the company's stock.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Performance

NYSE:AVB traded up $1.69 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $219.26. 560,581 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 633,078. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 1.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.99. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $219.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $222.78. AvalonBay Communities has a fifty-two week low of $172.85 and a fifty-two week high of $239.29.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.83 by ($0.03). AvalonBay Communities had a net margin of 37.13% and a return on equity of 9.15%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that AvalonBay Communities will post 11.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is an increase from AvalonBay Communities's previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.19%. AvalonBay Communities's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 89.59%.

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.