BNP Paribas Financial Markets Cuts Stock Position in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. $AVB

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Financial Markets reduced its holdings in AvalonBay Communities by 6.6%, now owning approximately $61.31 million worth of shares.
• Analysts have revised target prices for AvalonBay Communities, with a consensus target of $223.43 and a mix of ratings, including six Buy and nine Hold ratings.
• AvalonBay reported a quarterly earnings beat with earnings per share of $2.82, although revenue fell short of expectations at $689.90 million.

BNP Paribas Financial Markets reduced its position in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB - Free Report) by 6.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 285,658 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 20,071 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned about 0.20% of AvalonBay Communities worth $61,308,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ieq Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 35.4% during the first quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 6,536 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,403,000 after buying an additional 1,708 shares during the period. Warwick Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in AvalonBay Communities during the first quarter valued at $279,000. FORA Capital LLC acquired a new position in AvalonBay Communities during the first quarter valued at $1,886,000. Freedom Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in AvalonBay Communities in the first quarter valued at $207,000. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC increased its holdings in AvalonBay Communities by 15.0% in the first quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 7,859 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,687,000 after buying an additional 1,024 shares in the last quarter. 92.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Performance

NYSE AVB traded up $0.85 during trading on Thursday, reaching $191.92. The company's stock had a trading volume of 301,874 shares, compared to its average volume of 821,503. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market cap of $27.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.87. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a twelve month low of $180.40 and a twelve month high of $239.29. The business's fifty day moving average price is $195.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $203.94.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $689.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $759.08 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.77 earnings per share. AvalonBay Communities has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.190-11.590 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on AVB shares. Piper Sandler restated a "neutral" rating and set a $200.00 price target (down previously from $255.00) on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $241.00 to $228.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $236.00 to $226.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $216.00 to $211.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $244.00 to $213.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 27th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $223.43.

Insider Transactions at AvalonBay Communities

In other news, CFO Kevin P. O'shea sold 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.57, for a total transaction of $1,245,420.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly 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 SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Edward M. Schulman sold 5,945 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 17,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,623,288.39. This trade represents a 25.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.45% 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.