Capital Fund Management S.A. bought a new stake in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 29,995 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $6,598,000.
Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in AvalonBay Communities during the 4th quarter worth $44,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in AvalonBay Communities in the 4th quarter valued at $66,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 312.5% in the 4th quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 363 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the period. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P raised its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 42.6% during the fourth quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 442 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $97,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. 92.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
AvalonBay Communities Price Performance
Shares of AVB opened at $192.95 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $213.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $219.85. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 52-week low of $177.40 and a 52-week high of $239.29. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $27.47 billion, a PE ratio of 25.42, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.86.
AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.83 by ($0.03). AvalonBay Communities had a return on equity of 9.15% and a net margin of 37.13%. Sell-side analysts predict that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.
AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $1.75 dividend. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.63%. This is a positive change from AvalonBay Communities's previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. AvalonBay Communities's payout ratio is 92.23%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays raised their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $227.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley cut shares of AvalonBay Communities from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $236.00 to $223.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Zelman & Associates upgraded AvalonBay Communities from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, AvalonBay Communities presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $237.47.
Check Out Our Latest Report on AVB
AvalonBay Communities Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
See Also
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AVB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.
Before you consider AvalonBay Communities, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and AvalonBay Communities wasn't on the list.
While AvalonBay Communities currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Like this article? Share it with a colleague.
Link copied to clipboard.