bLong Financial LLC Invests $878,000 in Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA)

bLong Financial LLC bought a new stake in Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 5,680 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $878,000. Mid-America Apartment Communities comprises approximately 0.7% of bLong Financial LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Activest Wealth Management bought a new position in Mid-America Apartment Communities during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in the third quarter worth about $37,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities during the 3rd quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 30.5% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 321 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. 93.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Stock Performance

MAA traded down $0.26 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $157.31. 719,694 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 731,652. Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $123.23 and a fifty-two week high of $167.39. The company has a market capitalization of $18.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.11, a PEG ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $153.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $156.05.

Mid-America Apartment Communities (NYSE:MAA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, analysts predict that Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. will post 8.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th were issued a $1.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 15th. This is a boost from Mid-America Apartment Communities's previous quarterly dividend of $1.47. This represents a $6.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.85%. Mid-America Apartment Communities's dividend payout ratio is presently 135.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Mid-America Apartment Communities from $157.00 to $155.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and raised their target price for the company from $173.00 to $182.00 in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from $158.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from $152.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $167.00.

About Mid-America Apartment Communities

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.