National Bank of Canada FI Sells 4,534 Shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

National Bank of Canada FI decreased its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB - Free Report) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 80,257 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 4,534 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI owned approximately 0.06% of AvalonBay Communities worth $17,654,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in AvalonBay Communities during the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new stake in AvalonBay Communities during the fourth quarter valued at about $66,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in AvalonBay Communities by 312.5% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P boosted its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 42.6% in the fourth quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 442 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $97,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.61% of the company's stock.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Up 7.1 %

NYSE AVB traded up $13.23 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $200.46. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,695,117 shares, compared to its average volume of 689,774. 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 capitalization of $28.54 billion, a PE ratio of 26.41, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.86. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 1-year low of $177.40 and a 1-year high of $239.29. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $214.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $220.36.

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AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB - Get Free Report) last released 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 net margin of 37.13% and a return on equity of 9.15%. On average, research analysts forecast that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.75 per share. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.49%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This is an increase from AvalonBay Communities's previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. AvalonBay Communities's dividend payout ratio is 92.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on AVB. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays reduced their target price on AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $226.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded AvalonBay Communities from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and set a $220.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Friday, April 4th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered AvalonBay Communities from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $236.00 to $223.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AvalonBay Communities currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $237.40.

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.