Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 19,500 Shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lessened its position in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB - Free Report) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 690,922 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 19,500 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.49% of AvalonBay Communities worth $151,979,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AVB. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in AvalonBay Communities during the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in AvalonBay Communities during the 4th quarter valued at $66,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.61% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on AVB. Barclays cut their price target 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. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $247.00 to $262.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Morgan Stanley lowered AvalonBay Communities from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $236.00 to $223.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded AvalonBay Communities from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and set a $220.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $237.40.

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AvalonBay Communities Trading Down 3.2 %

Shares of AvalonBay Communities stock traded down $6.48 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $193.91. The company's stock had a trading volume of 633,333 shares, compared to its average volume of 689,630. The company has a market capitalization of $27.61 billion, a PE ratio of 25.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.64. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $214.12 and a 200 day moving average of $220.36. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 12 month low of $177.40 and a 12 month high of $239.29.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.80 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%. Analysts predict that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 earnings per share for the current year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from AvalonBay Communities's previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.61%. AvalonBay Communities's dividend payout ratio is presently 92.23%.

AvalonBay Communities 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.