AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) Shares Sold by Man Group plc

Man Group plc decreased its holdings in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB - Free Report) by 53.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 56,296 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 63,407 shares during the period. Man Group plc's holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $12,383,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AVB. Ancora Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 1,666.7% in the fourth quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 159 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Finally, Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in AvalonBay Communities during the fourth quarter worth about $66,000. 92.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Down 3.2%

AVB traded down $6.73 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $201.86. 625,489 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 705,765. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 12-month low of $180.40 and a 12-month high of $239.29. The firm has a market cap of $28.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.86. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $205.73 and a 200 day moving average of $216.57.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.80 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $693.43 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 prior year, the company earned $2.70 earnings per share. Analysts predict that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AvalonBay Communities Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $1.75 per share. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.47%. AvalonBay Communities's dividend payout ratio is presently 87.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $241.00 to $251.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Barclays lifted their target price on AvalonBay Communities from $227.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on AvalonBay Communities from $223.00 to $220.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded AvalonBay Communities from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and set a $220.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $239.93.

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.