AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) Shares Sold by Hilton Capital Management LLC

Hilton Capital Management LLC reduced its position in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB - Free Report) by 11.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 53,774 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 6,810 shares during the period. AvalonBay Communities accounts for about 1.0% of Hilton Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Hilton Capital Management LLC's holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $11,829,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Atria Investments Inc increased its position in AvalonBay Communities by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 15,487 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $3,488,000 after purchasing an additional 602 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,112 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $251,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,224 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $726,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 35.7% in the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,652 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,724,000 after acquiring an additional 2,014 shares during the period. Finally, Huntington National Bank grew its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 30,793 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $6,936,000 after acquiring an additional 1,658 shares during the period. 92.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on AVB. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley cut AvalonBay Communities from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $236.00 to $223.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded AvalonBay Communities from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the company from $247.00 to $262.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Barclays decreased their price objective on AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $226.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded AvalonBay Communities from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $239.00 to $242.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AvalonBay Communities currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $238.64.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Down 0.8 %

AvalonBay Communities stock traded down $1.77 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $209.98. The stock had a trading volume of 856,746 shares, compared to its average volume of 626,397. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market cap of $29.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.00. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 12 month low of $177.40 and a 12 month high of $239.29. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $218.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $223.32.

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

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $1.75 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 dividend yield of 3.33%. AvalonBay Communities's payout ratio is currently 92.23%.

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.