KBC Group NV Sells 10,620 Shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

KBC Group NV cut its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB - Free Report) by 7.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 135,809 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 10,620 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned approximately 0.10% of AvalonBay Communities worth $29,874,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AVB. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 678.9% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,715,050 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $386,315,000 after buying an additional 1,494,872 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in AvalonBay Communities in the third quarter valued at approximately $581,960,000. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 2.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,245,028 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,097,971,000 after acquiring an additional 196,938 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 958.9% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 172,618 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $38,882,000 after purchasing an additional 156,316 shares during the period. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP bought a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the 3rd quarter worth $29,256,000. 92.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Timothy J. Naughton sold 2,261 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Performance

AvalonBay Communities stock traded up $1.63 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $221.51. The stock had a trading volume of 1,061,807 shares, compared to its average volume of 510,932. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.51 billion, a PE ratio of 30.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.99. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 12 month low of $169.37 and a 12 month high of $239.29. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $221.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $221.58.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.71 by ($0.10). The business 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 last year, the firm earned $2.66 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AvalonBay Communities Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.07%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. AvalonBay Communities's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 93.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $236.00 to $223.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $243.00 to $230.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $234.00 to $233.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Mizuho raised AvalonBay Communities from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $239.00 to $242.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised AvalonBay Communities from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the company from $247.00 to $262.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $234.60.

About AvalonBay Communities

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.