Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. Reduces Stock Holdings in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. lessened its position in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB - Free Report) by 73.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 43,064 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 117,585 shares during the quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V.'s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $9,473,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in AvalonBay Communities during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in AvalonBay Communities during the fourth quarter valued at $66,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 312.5% during the 4th 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 raised its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 42.6% during the 4th quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 442 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $97,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.61% of the company's stock.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Performance

AVB stock opened at $201.90 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.64. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 1-year low of $180.40 and a 1-year high of $239.29. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $210.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $218.91. The company has a market capitalization of $28.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.60, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.86.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB - Get Free Report) last issued 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $1.75 per share. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.47%. This is a positive change from AvalonBay Communities's previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. AvalonBay Communities's dividend payout ratio is presently 92.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley cut 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 report on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets lowered AvalonBay Communities from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and set a $220.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price 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. Barclays raised their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of AvalonBay Communities from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the company from $239.00 to $242.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $237.47.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.