Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA) Stock Holdings Raised by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Key Points

• Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its stake in Mid-America Apartment Communities by 13.0%, now owning 97,800 shares valued at approximately $16.39 million.
• Mid-America reported $2.15 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding expectations of $2.14, with total revenue reaching $549.90 million.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.515, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 4.3% and a payout ratio of 124.69%.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA - Free Report) by 13.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 97,800 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 11,256 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. owned approximately 0.08% of Mid-America Apartment Communities worth $16,390,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FIL Ltd boosted its stake in Mid-America Apartment Communities by 26.6% during the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 37,699 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $5,827,000 after buying an additional 7,920 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 16,136 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,493,000 after purchasing an additional 467 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 24,968 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $3,859,000 after purchasing an additional 716 shares in the last quarter. Capital Fund Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 207.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Fund Management S.A. now owns 27,498 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $4,250,000 after purchasing an additional 52,998 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 52,437 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $8,105,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on MAA shares. JMP Securities upped their price target on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. UBS Group lowered their target price on Mid-America Apartment Communities from $149.00 to $142.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Mid-America Apartment Communities from $158.00 to $155.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 1st. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on Mid-America Apartment Communities from $194.00 to $180.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 13th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on Mid-America Apartment Communities from $160.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $166.95.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Price Performance

MAA stock traded down $1.96 during trading on Monday, hitting $138.52. The stock had a trading volume of 724,938 shares, compared to its average volume of 872,857. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.50, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.10 and a quick ratio of 0.10. Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. has a twelve month low of $138.34 and a twelve month high of $173.38. The company's 50-day moving average price is $148.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $155.83.

Mid-America Apartment Communities (NYSE:MAA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.01. Mid-America Apartment Communities had a return on equity of 9.35% and a net margin of 25.98%. The firm had revenue of $549.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $552.19 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.22 earnings per share. Mid-America Apartment Communities's revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. will post 8.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 15th were given a dividend of $1.515 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 15th. This represents a $6.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.4%. Mid-America Apartment Communities's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 124.69%.

About Mid-America Apartment Communities

Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc is a real estate investment trust, which engages in the operation, acquisition, and development of apartment communities. It operates through the Same Store and Non-Same Store segments. The Same Store Communities segment represents those apartment communities that have been owned and stabilized for at least 12 months as of the first day of the calendar year.