Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec Takes Position in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec bought a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 72,433 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $15,933,000. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec owned approximately 0.05% of AvalonBay Communities as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AvalonBay Communities in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the 4th quarter worth approximately $66,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P raised its stake in AvalonBay Communities by 42.6% in the 4th quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 442 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $97,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. 92.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AvalonBay Communities Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:AVB traded down $1.99 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $210.21. 708,992 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 693,328. The business's 50-day moving average price is $208.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $217.98. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 12 month low of $180.40 and a 12 month high of $239.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 1.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.86.

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

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $1.75 dividend. This is a boost from AvalonBay Communities's previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.33%. AvalonBay Communities's dividend payout ratio is presently 87.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AVB has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted 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. Morgan Stanley lowered AvalonBay Communities from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $236.00 to $223.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $227.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $239.00 to $242.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $238.57.

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.