AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) Upgraded at Truist Financial

Key Points

• AvalonBay Communities was upgraded from a "hold" to a "buy" rating by Truist Financial, with a new target price of $218.00, indicating a potential upside of 13.10% from its current price.
• Multiple analysts have adjusted their price targets, with Morgan Stanley lowering theirs from $228.00 to $225.00 but raising the rating to "overweight."
• The company's most recent earnings report showed an EPS of $2.82, exceeding analyst estimates and reflecting robust net margins of 38.91%.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Truist Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $218.00 target price on the real estate investment trust's stock, down from their prior target price of $224.00. Truist Financial's target price would suggest a potential upside of 13.10% from the company's current price.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on AVB. Morgan Stanley raised shares of AvalonBay Communities from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $228.00 to $225.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $216.00 to $211.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 1st. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $216.00 to $212.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of AvalonBay Communities from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $200.00 price target (down from $255.00) on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AvalonBay Communities presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $218.08.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Performance

AvalonBay Communities stock opened at $192.75 on Thursday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $195.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $203.11. AvalonBay Communities has a twelve month low of $180.40 and a twelve month high of $239.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a market cap of $27.44 billion, a PE ratio of 23.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.87.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.80 by $0.02. AvalonBay Communities had a net margin of 38.91% and a return on equity of 9.70%. The business had revenue of $689.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $759.08 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.77 EPS. AvalonBay Communities has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.190-11.590 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that AvalonBay Communities will post 11.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Kevin P. O'shea sold 6,000 shares of AvalonBay Communities stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.57, for a total value of $1,245,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 22,782 shares in the company, valued at $4,728,859.74. The trade was a 20.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Edward M. Schulman sold 5,945 shares of AvalonBay Communities stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.67, for a total transaction of $1,222,708.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 17,617 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,623,288.39. This represents a 25.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.45% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 4,838 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,064,000 after buying an additional 447 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in AvalonBay Communities by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 17,819 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $3,920,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. Cresset Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in AvalonBay Communities during the 4th quarter worth $229,000. CoreCap Advisors LLC boosted its stake in AvalonBay Communities by 58.9% during the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in AvalonBay Communities by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 4,094 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $901,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.61% of the company's stock.

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.

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