Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Buys 4,558 Shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. $AVB

Key Points

• Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in AvalonBay Communities by 1.8% during the second quarter, owning approximately 256,151 shares valued at $52.13 million.
• Analysts have adjusted price targets for AvalonBay Communities, with UBS Group lowering its target from $238 to $216, while Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock from "equal weight" to "overweight" but also revised its target down to $225.
• AvalonBay Communities announced a quarterly dividend of $1.75, to be paid on October 15th, representing an annual yield of 3.6% and a payout ratio of 86.21%.

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB - Free Report) by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 256,151 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 4,558 shares during the quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. owned 0.18% of AvalonBay Communities worth $52,127,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the first quarter worth about $280,226,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 21,024.3% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 550,500 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $118,148,000 after purchasing an additional 547,894 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 7.1% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,520,036 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,184,712,000 after purchasing an additional 367,853 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the fourth quarter worth about $78,759,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the fourth quarter worth about $59,023,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.61% of the company's stock.

AvalonBay Communities Price Performance

AVB stock traded up $0.35 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $193.31. 402,045 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 822,833. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The company has a market capitalization of $27.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.87. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 52-week low of $180.40 and a 52-week high of $239.29. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $193.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $201.38.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.80 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $689.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $759.08 million. AvalonBay Communities had a return on equity of 9.70% and a net margin of 38.91%.During the same quarter in the previous 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. As a group, analysts anticipate that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 earnings per share for the current year.

AvalonBay Communities Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.75 per share. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 30th. AvalonBay Communities's payout ratio is presently 86.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on AVB. UBS Group reduced their target price on AvalonBay Communities from $238.00 to $216.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on AvalonBay Communities from $244.00 to $213.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 27th. Scotiabank dropped their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $236.00 to $226.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $251.00 to $249.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. 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 analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $218.42.

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.