AvalonBay Communities (AVB) Competitors

Camden Property Trust (NYSE:CPT) and AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) are both large-cap finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, media sentiment, earnings, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability, risk and dividends.

Does the media refer more to CPT or AVB?

In the previous week, Camden Property Trust had 4 more articles in the media than AvalonBay Communities. MarketBeat recorded 20 mentions for Camden Property Trust and 16 mentions for AvalonBay Communities. Camden Property Trust's average media sentiment score of 1.50 beat AvalonBay Communities' score of 1.25 indicating that Camden Property Trust is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Camden Property Trust	19 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
AvalonBay Communities	14 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more risk and volatility, CPT or AVB?

Camden Property Trust has a beta of 0.8, meaning that its stock price is 20% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, AvalonBay Communities has a beta of 0.87, meaning that its stock price is 13% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has preferable valuation and earnings, CPT or AVB?

AvalonBay Communities has higher revenue and earnings than Camden Property Trust. AvalonBay Communities is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Camden Property Trust, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Camden Property Trust	$1.54B	7.56	$163.29M	$1.43	76.42
AvalonBay Communities	$2.91B	9.33	$1.08B	$8.12	23.51

Do institutionals & insiders hold more shares of CPT or AVB?

97.2% of Camden Property Trust shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 92.6% of AvalonBay Communities shares are held by institutional investors. 1.9% of Camden Property Trust shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of AvalonBay Communities shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Do analysts rate CPT or AVB?

Camden Property Trust presently has a consensus price target of $124.04, indicating a potential upside of 13.51%. AvalonBay Communities has a consensus price target of $223.43, indicating a potential upside of 17.03%. Given AvalonBay Communities' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe AvalonBay Communities is more favorable than Camden Property Trust.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Camden Property Trust	1 Sell rating(s)	10 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.29
AvalonBay Communities	0 Sell rating(s)	9 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.40

Is CPT or AVB more profitable?

AvalonBay Communities has a net margin of 38.91% compared to Camden Property Trust's net margin of 9.99%. AvalonBay Communities' return on equity of 9.70% beat Camden Property Trust's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Camden Property Trust	9.99%	3.30%	1.74%
AvalonBay Communities	38.91%	9.70%	5.45%

Is CPT or AVB a better dividend stock?

Camden Property Trust pays an annual dividend of $4.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.8%. AvalonBay Communities pays an annual dividend of $7.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.7%. Camden Property Trust pays out 293.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. AvalonBay Communities pays out 86.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Camden Property Trust has increased its dividend for 4 consecutive years and AvalonBay Communities has increased its dividend for 3 consecutive years. Camden Property Trust is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

AvalonBay Communities beats Camden Property Trust on 11 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.