Mid-America Apartment Communities (NYSE:MAA) Sets New 52-Week Low - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Mid-America Apartment Communities (MAA) reached a new 12-month low of $142.01 during trading, with the last price being $142.53.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on MAA, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and a price target averaging $168.81.
• The company announced a dividend of $1.515 per share, representing an annualized amount of $6.06 and a yield of 4.3%.

Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $142.01 and last traded at $142.53, with a volume of 832 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $142.43.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MAA shares. Raymond James Financial lowered shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from $161.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered Mid-America Apartment Communities from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday. JMP Securities upped their price objective on Mid-America Apartment Communities from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank reduced their target price on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from $194.00 to $180.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $168.52.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $16.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.75. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $150.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $156.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83.

Mid-America Apartment Communities (NYSE:MAA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.01. Mid-America Apartment Communities had a return on equity of 9.35% and a net margin of 25.98%. The firm had revenue of $549.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $552.19 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.22 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. will post 8.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 15th were given a dividend of $1.515 per share. This represents a $6.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 15th. Mid-America Apartment Communities's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 126.25%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of MAA. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Mid-America Apartment Communities during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in Mid-America Apartment Communities by 107.1% during the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 176 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Mid-America Apartment Communities during the first quarter valued at $29,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 972.2% during the second quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 193 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities during the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.60% of the company's stock.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Company Profile

Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc is a real estate investment trust, which engages in the operation, acquisition, and development of apartment communities. It operates through the Same Store and Non-Same Store segments. The Same Store Communities segment represents those apartment communities that have been owned and stabilized for at least 12 months as of the first day of the calendar year.