Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA Makes New $2.49 Million Investment in Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA)

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new stake in Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 16,100 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $2,489,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Mid-America Apartment Communities during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Mid-America Apartment Communities during the 3rd quarter worth $45,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Mid-America Apartment Communities by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 321 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.60% of the company’s stock.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Stock Performance

MAA stock opened at $153.59 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $17.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.91. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $155.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $154.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 0.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. has a 12-month low of $121.51 and a 12-month high of $167.39.

Mid-America Apartment Communities (NYSE:MAA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18 by ($1.20). Mid-America Apartment Communities had a return on equity of 8.38% and a net margin of 23.84%. The business had revenue of $551.13 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $548.53 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.29 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current year.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be paid a $1.515 dividend. This is an increase from Mid-America Apartment Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.47. This represents a $6.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.95%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 15th. Mid-America Apartment Communities’s payout ratio is presently 136.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MAA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley upgraded Mid-America Apartment Communities from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $159.50 to $168.00 in a research note on Friday. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Mid-America Apartment Communities from $157.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from $174.00 to $164.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, KeyCorp raised shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $180.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $166.00.

About Mid-America Apartment Communities

MAA, an S&P 500 company, is a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on delivering full-cycle and superior investment performance for shareholders through the ownership, management, acquisition, development and redevelopment of quality apartment communities primarily in the Southeast, Southwest and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.