KBC Group NV Cuts Position in Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA)

KBC Group NV lowered its holdings in Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA - Free Report) by 55.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 55,891 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 69,894 shares during the period. KBC Group NV's holdings in Mid-America Apartment Communities were worth $8,639,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in Mid-America Apartment Communities during the fourth quarter worth about $2,489,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 23.5% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,309 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $367,000 after buying an additional 440 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Mid-America Apartment Communities by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 7,978 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,233,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in Mid-America Apartment Communities by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 22,154 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $3,424,000 after buying an additional 382 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Mid-America Apartment Communities by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC now owns 43,998 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $6,801,000 after acquiring an additional 1,110 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.60% of the company's stock.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Stock Up 2.1 %

MAA traded up $3.14 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $151.70. 242,151 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 611,904. The company has a market cap of $17.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.91. Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. has a one year low of $121.51 and a one year high of $167.39. The company's fifty day moving average price is $154.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $154.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.09 and a current ratio of 0.09.

Mid-America Apartment Communities (NYSE:MAA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.18 by ($1.20). Mid-America Apartment Communities had a return on equity of 8.38% and a net margin of 23.84%. The company had revenue of $551.13 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $548.53 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.29 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current year.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be given a dividend of $1.515 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a $6.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.99%. This is a boost from Mid-America Apartment Communities's previous quarterly dividend of $1.47. Mid-America Apartment Communities's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 136.79%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $159.50 to $168.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in a report on Friday, January 24th. They set an "inline" rating and a $155.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from $174.00 to $164.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from $163.00 to $159.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $166.00.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Profile

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.