358,042 Shares in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) Acquired by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 358,042 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $78,759,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.25% of AvalonBay Communities at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in AvalonBay Communities by 1.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,060,497 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $914,627,000 after buying an additional 55,588 shares in the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,326 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $292,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in AvalonBay Communities by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 52,224 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $11,488,000 after purchasing an additional 1,070 shares in the last quarter. Narwhal Capital Management acquired a new stake in AvalonBay Communities in the fourth quarter valued at $1,229,000. Finally, PFG Investments LLC lifted its stake in AvalonBay Communities by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,199 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $264,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.61% of the company's stock.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Performance

NYSE:AVB traded up $4.06 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $206.04. 856,343 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 713,181. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.64. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 52-week low of $180.40 and a 52-week high of $239.29. The company's 50 day moving average price is $204.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $215.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.15, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.86.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.80 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $693.43 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $744.61 million. AvalonBay Communities had a net margin of 37.13% and a return on equity of 9.15%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.70 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 earnings per share for the current year.

AvalonBay Communities Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $1.75 per share. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. AvalonBay Communities's payout ratio is currently 87.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on AVB shares. Scotiabank raised 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. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of 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. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $227.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.