AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) Shares Sold by GSI Capital Advisors LLC

GSI Capital Advisors LLC lowered its stake in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 26,295 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 73 shares during the period. AvalonBay Communities makes up about 3.1% of GSI Capital Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. GSI Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $5,784,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wedmont Private Capital raised its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 5.3% during the fourth 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. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in AvalonBay Communities by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,616 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $356,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its stake in AvalonBay Communities by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,512 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $553,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 12,179 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,679,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, Greenleaf Trust increased its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 3,028 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $666,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.61% of the company’s stock.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Performance

Shares of AVB opened at $214.45 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $30.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.00. The company’s fifty day moving average is $217.34 and its 200-day moving average is $222.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 12 month low of $177.40 and a 12 month high of $239.29.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.80 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 analysts expect that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $1.75 per share. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.26%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This is a boost from AvalonBay Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. AvalonBay Communities’s payout ratio is currently 92.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AVB shares. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $236.00 to $223.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays decreased their target price on AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $226.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $270.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Zelman & Associates raised AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.