BNP Paribas Financial Markets Grows Position in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB - Free Report) by 17.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 305,729 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 46,198 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned about 0.21% of AvalonBay Communities worth $67,251,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ancora Advisors LLC raised its stake in AvalonBay Communities by 1,666.7% during the fourth quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 159 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in AvalonBay Communities in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in AvalonBay Communities in the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in AvalonBay Communities during the fourth quarter worth $66,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in AvalonBay Communities by 312.5% in the fourth 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 period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.61% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets downgraded AvalonBay Communities from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and set a $220.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley cut shares of AvalonBay Communities from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $236.00 to $223.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on AvalonBay Communities from $223.00 to $220.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Truist Financial lifted their target price on AvalonBay Communities from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $227.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AvalonBay Communities has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $238.86.

AvalonBay Communities Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE AVB traded up $0.95 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $205.40. 522,050 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 697,590. 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 company has a market capitalization of $29.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.06, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.86. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $206.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $217.57. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 52-week low of $180.40 and a 52-week high of $239.29.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.80 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $693.43 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $744.61 million. AvalonBay Communities had a return on equity of 9.15% and a net margin of 37.13%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.70 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.