Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund Buys 69 Shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,179 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund’s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $2,679,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVB. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in AvalonBay Communities during the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in AvalonBay Communities during the 3rd quarter valued at $51,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in AvalonBay Communities by 59.9% during 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 purchasing an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.61% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $226.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Mizuho raised shares of AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $239.00 to $242.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $247.00 to $262.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $238.64.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Performance

AVB opened at $222.93 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $31.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.37, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.64. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $218.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $223.23. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 1-year low of $172.85 and a 1-year high of $239.29.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.03). AvalonBay Communities had a net margin of 37.13% and a return on equity of 9.15%. Equities analysts forecast that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.14%. This is a boost from AvalonBay Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. AvalonBay Communities’s payout ratio is presently 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.