Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Buys New Position in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 4,061 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $893,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AVB. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in AvalonBay Communities in the third quarter valued at $39,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in AvalonBay Communities during the 3rd quarter worth $51,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 275 shares during the period. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 59.9% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 478 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $105,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. 92.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Up 0.9 %

AVB stock traded up $1.97 during trading on Monday, reaching $228.15. 263,648 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 619,641. The firm's 50 day moving average is $218.79 and its 200 day moving average is $223.50. The firm has a market cap of $32.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a twelve month low of $177.40 and a twelve month high of $239.29.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.03). AvalonBay Communities had a return on equity of 9.15% and a net margin of 37.13%. As a group, research analysts forecast that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 EPS for the current year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $1.75 dividend. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.07%. This is a positive change from AvalonBay Communities's previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. AvalonBay Communities's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 92.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AVB has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Mizuho upgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $239.00 to $242.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of AvalonBay Communities from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $247.00 to $262.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $238.64.

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.