94,884 Shares in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) Purchased by Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new stake in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 94,884 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $20,872,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC owned about 0.07% of AvalonBay Communities at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the fourth quarter worth about $66,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 312.5% during the fourth quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 363 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $80,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 42.6% during the fourth quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 442 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.61% of the company's stock.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AVB traded up $0.86 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $210.84. 264,232 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 752,223. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 52 week low of $180.40 and a 52 week high of $239.29. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $209.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $218.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.64. The company has a market cap of $30.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.77, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.86.

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

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This is a boost from AvalonBay Communities's previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.32%. AvalonBay Communities's payout ratio is 92.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AVB has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Zelman & Associates upgraded AvalonBay Communities from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley cut AvalonBay Communities from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $236.00 to $223.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Mizuho upgraded AvalonBay Communities from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $239.00 to $242.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $270.00 to $265.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $239.29.

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.