Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC Grows Stake in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 312.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 363 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 275 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $80,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Segment Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,025 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $231,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC raised its holdings in AvalonBay Communities by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 1,934 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $436,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in AvalonBay Communities by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. now owns 1,268 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in AvalonBay Communities by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,244 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $280,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital raised its holdings in AvalonBay Communities by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 1,094 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $231,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. 92.61% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AVB has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $247.00 to $262.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Zelman & Associates raised AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Scotiabank decreased their price target 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. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $270.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $235.73.

AvalonBay Communities Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of AVB stock opened at $217.94 on Wednesday. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 12-month low of $172.85 and a 12-month high of $239.29. 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’s 50-day moving average price is $219.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $222.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.99.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last issued its earnings results 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 return on equity of 9.15% and a net margin of 37.13%. Equities research analysts predict that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. This is a positive change from AvalonBay Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. AvalonBay Communities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 89.59%.

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.