Barclays Issues Pessimistic Forecast for AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) Stock Price

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB - Free Report) had its price target lowered by Barclays from $243.00 to $230.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the real estate investment trust's stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on AVB. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $234.00 to $233.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Mizuho raised shares of AvalonBay Communities from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $239.00 to $242.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Scotiabank cut 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded AvalonBay Communities from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $247.00 to $262.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, 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. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $234.60.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Performance

Shares of AvalonBay Communities stock traded up $1.66 during trading on Friday, hitting $215.46. 198,379 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 535,000. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $223.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $220.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.99. AvalonBay Communities has a 1-year low of $169.37 and a 1-year high of $239.29.

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

AvalonBay Communities Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $1.70 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.16%. AvalonBay Communities's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 93.02%.

Insider Activity

In other AvalonBay Communities news, Director Timothy J. Naughton sold 2,261 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.78, for a total value of $528,576.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 111,436 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,051,508.08. This trade represents a 1.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in AvalonBay Communities during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in AvalonBay Communities during the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. Mather Group LLC. lifted its holdings in AvalonBay Communities by 38.6% during the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 201 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the 3rd quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 59.9% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 478 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $105,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.61% of the company's stock.

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.