USA Financial Formulas Takes $1.09 Million Position in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 4,970 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $1,093,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the third quarter worth $39,000. Mather Group LLC. lifted its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 38.6% in the third quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 201 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the 3rd quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in AvalonBay Communities in the 3rd quarter worth $126,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.61% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on AVB shares. Barclays began coverage on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $243.00 price target for the company. Scotiabank lowered their target price on AvalonBay Communities from $244.00 to $241.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Mizuho raised AvalonBay Communities from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $239.00 to $242.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on AvalonBay Communities from $234.00 to $233.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of AvalonBay Communities from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $247.00 to $262.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $234.53.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Timothy J. Naughton sold 23,697 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.47, for a total value of $5,532,538.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 87,239 shares in the company, valued at $20,367,689.33. The trade was a 21.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

AvalonBay Communities Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AVB traded down $0.39 on Thursday, hitting $216.72. The stock had a trading volume of 165,994 shares, compared to its average volume of 537,924. The company has a market capitalization of $30.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.99. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a twelve month low of $169.37 and a twelve month high of $239.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 1.64. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $225.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $220.50.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.61 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 analyst estimates of $731.67 million. AvalonBay Communities had a return on equity of 8.84% and a net margin of 36.20%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.66 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.04 earnings per share for the current year.

AvalonBay Communities Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $1.70 dividend. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. AvalonBay Communities's payout ratio is presently 93.02%.

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.