Unigestion Holding SA Purchases 1,695 Shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

Unigestion Holding SA grew its position in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB - Free Report) by 66.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,259 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 1,695 shares during the quarter. Unigestion Holding SA's holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $914,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ancora Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 1,666.7% in the 4th quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 159 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in AvalonBay Communities in the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in AvalonBay Communities in the fourth quarter valued at $53,000. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC boosted its stake in AvalonBay Communities by 12,200.0% in the fourth quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 246 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. 92.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AvalonBay Communities Trading Down 0.9%

AVB traded down $1.85 during trading on Thursday, hitting $202.76. The company's stock had a trading volume of 875,309 shares, compared to its average volume of 718,018. 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 twelve month low of $180.40 and a twelve month high of $239.29. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $203.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $214.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.71, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.86.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 company had revenue of $693.43 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $744.61 million. AvalonBay Communities had a return on equity of 9.15% and a net margin of 37.13%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.70 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 EPS for the current year.

AvalonBay Communities Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a $1.75 dividend. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. AvalonBay Communities's dividend payout ratio is presently 87.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets cut AvalonBay Communities from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and set a $220.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $227.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Scotiabank increased their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $241.00 to $251.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $237.86.

AvalonBay Communities 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.