Avanza Fonder AB Invests $1.44 Million in Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA)

Avanza Fonder AB bought a new position in Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 9,297 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $1,437,000.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in Mid-America Apartment Communities by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 6,057 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $962,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA lifted its holdings in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 2.1% in the third quarter. First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA now owns 4,178 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $664,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 6.4% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,444 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $229,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Financial Advocates Investment Management grew its stake in Mid-America Apartment Communities by 4.2% during the third quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 2,308 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $367,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its holdings in Mid-America Apartment Communities by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 2,297 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $365,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.60% of the company's stock.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Price Performance

MAA traded down $0.19 during trading on Friday, reaching $150.44. 671,621 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 545,380. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.09 and a current ratio of 0.09. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $156.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $154.27. Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. has a 12-month low of $121.51 and a 12-month high of $167.39. The company has a market cap of $17.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.96, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.91.

Mid-America Apartment Communities (NYSE:MAA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.18 by ($1.20). Mid-America Apartment Communities had a return on equity of 8.38% and a net margin of 23.84%. The firm had revenue of $551.13 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $548.53 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.29 earnings per share. Mid-America Apartment Communities's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current year.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.515 per share. This represents a $6.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 15th. This is a positive change from Mid-America Apartment Communities's previous quarterly dividend of $1.47. Mid-America Apartment Communities's dividend payout ratio is presently 132.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on MAA. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from $163.00 to $159.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com cut Mid-America Apartment Communities from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Scotiabank lowered their price target on Mid-America Apartment Communities from $174.00 to $173.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 14th. JMP Securities reissued a "market outperform" rating and set a $160.00 price objective on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $166.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $166.92.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Company Profile

MAA, an S&P 500 company, is a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on delivering full-cycle and superior investment performance for shareholders through the ownership, management, acquisition, development and redevelopment of quality apartment communities primarily in the Southeast, Southwest and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.