Mariner LLC Increases Position in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

Mariner LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB - Free Report) by 8.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,027 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 1,326 shares during the quarter. Mariner LLC's holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $3,745,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVB. Cohen & Steers Inc. lifted its stake in AvalonBay Communities by 25.7% during the fourth quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 3,130,108 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $688,527,000 after purchasing an additional 639,402 shares in the last quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 18.4% in the 4th quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. now owns 5,587 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,229,000 after buying an additional 869 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its stake in AvalonBay Communities by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 5,359 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,179,000 after acquiring an additional 459 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in AvalonBay Communities by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 11,100 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,441,000 after acquiring an additional 551 shares during the period. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in AvalonBay Communities by 56.3% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 8,453 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,859,000 after acquiring an additional 3,044 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.61% of the company's stock.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Down 0.4 %

AVB stock traded down $0.87 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $205.86. 642,822 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 691,981. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $209.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $218.58. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 1-year low of $180.40 and a 1-year high of $239.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 1.64. The company has a market cap of $29.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.12, a price-to-earnings-growth 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, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.83 by ($0.03). AvalonBay Communities had a return on equity of 9.15% and a net margin of 37.13%. On average, equities analysts forecast that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 earnings per share for the current year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.40%. This is a boost from AvalonBay Communities's previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. AvalonBay Communities's payout ratio is currently 92.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AVB has been the subject of several recent research reports. Zelman & Associates raised shares of AvalonBay Communities from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $227.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley lowered AvalonBay Communities from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $236.00 to $223.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on AvalonBay Communities from $270.00 to $265.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded AvalonBay Communities from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and set a $220.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Friday, April 4th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $237.47.

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.