AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) Shares Sold by Wells Fargo & Company MN

Wells Fargo & Company MN cut its position in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB - Free Report) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 266,589 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 7,178 shares during the quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN owned approximately 0.19% of AvalonBay Communities worth $58,642,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AVB. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in AvalonBay Communities during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in AvalonBay Communities in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new stake in AvalonBay Communities in the 4th quarter worth approximately $66,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake 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 worth $80,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the period. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its holdings 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 in the last quarter. 92.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on AVB shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets cut AvalonBay Communities from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and set a $220.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday, April 4th. Zelman & Associates upgraded AvalonBay Communities from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Mizuho upgraded 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 report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $247.00 to $262.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Eight 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, AvalonBay Communities has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $237.47.

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AvalonBay Communities Stock Up 2.4 %

NYSE:AVB traded up $4.61 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $197.61. The company's stock had a trading volume of 63,256 shares, compared to its average volume of 686,513. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.86. 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 fifty day moving average of $213.02 and a 200-day moving average of $219.81. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 52-week low of $177.40 and a 52-week high of $239.29.

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 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 earnings per share for the current year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.75 per share. This is a boost from AvalonBay Communities's previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. AvalonBay Communities's dividend payout ratio is currently 92.23%.

AvalonBay Communities Company 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.