44 Wealth Management LLC Makes New $760,000 Investment in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. $AVB

44 Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 3,933 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $760,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in AvalonBay Communities during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. BOKF NA purchased a new stake in AvalonBay Communities during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Clearstead Trust LLC grew its holdings in AvalonBay Communities by 62.0% during the 2nd quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 162 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 92.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of AvalonBay Communities stock opened at $168.91 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $23.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.62, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.75. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $177.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $182.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 1 year low of $166.73 and a 1 year high of $217.32.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.01. AvalonBay Communities had a net margin of 34.57% and a return on equity of 8.78%. The business had revenue of $767.86 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $766.38 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.80 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $1.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This is a positive change from AvalonBay Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. This represents a $7.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.2%. AvalonBay Communities’s dividend payout ratio is currently 85.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on AVB shares. Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $193.00 to $190.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on AvalonBay Communities from $191.00 to $187.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group decreased their target price on AvalonBay Communities from $192.00 to $191.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Barclays dropped their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $217.00 to $202.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Colliers Securities restated a “neutral” rating and set a $195.00 price target (down from $200.00) on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $199.66.

About AvalonBay Communities

AvalonBay Communities, Inc (NYSE: AVB) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns, develops, redevelops and manages multifamily residential properties. The company focuses on professionally managed apartment communities, offering a range of rental housing options and related resident services. As a REIT, AvalonBay’s core activities center on the acquisition and development of apartment assets and the ongoing operations and leasing of those communities.

AvalonBay’s operating activities include ground-up development, strategic redevelopment of existing properties, property and asset management, and on-site leasing and resident services.