Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. Cuts Stake in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. trimmed its holdings in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB - Free Report) by 73.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 43,064 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 117,585 shares during the period. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V.'s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $9,473,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,499,050,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,590,539 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,009,781,000 after buying an additional 27,629 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 55,588 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in AvalonBay Communities by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,693,457 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $810,470,000 after purchasing an additional 107,655 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cohen & Steers Inc. raised 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 valued at $688,527,000 after buying an additional 639,402 shares in the last quarter. 92.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AvalonBay Communities Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE AVB traded down $0.87 on Friday, reaching $205.86. The company had a trading volume of 642,822 shares, compared to its average volume of 690,962. The firm has a market cap of $29.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.12, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.86. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $180.40 and a fifty-two week high of $239.29. The business has a 50 day moving average of $209.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $218.59. 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 (NYSE:AVB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.03). AvalonBay Communities had a return on equity of 9.15% and a net margin of 37.13%. Analysts forecast that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 EPS for the current year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AVB has been the topic of a number of research reports. Truist Financial increased their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Morgan Stanley downgraded 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 report on Friday, January 24th. Mizuho upgraded AvalonBay Communities from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $239.00 to $242.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on AvalonBay Communities from $270.00 to $265.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $227.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $237.47.

AvalonBay Communities Company 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.