SG Americas Securities LLC Reduces Stock Position in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

SG Americas Securities LLC cut its holdings in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 99.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 763 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 171,855 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $168,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in AvalonBay Communities in the third quarter worth $39,000. Mather Group LLC. raised its holdings in AvalonBay Communities by 38.6% in the third quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 201 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in AvalonBay Communities during the third quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 59.9% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 478 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $105,000 after buying an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.61% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at AvalonBay Communities

In related news, Director Timothy J. Naughton sold 23,697 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.47, for a total value of $5,532,538.59. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 87,239 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,367,689.33. The trade was a 21.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

AvalonBay Communities Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of AVB stock opened at $220.23 on Monday. 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 $31.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.02, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.99. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 1 year low of $169.37 and a 1 year high of $239.29. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $220.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $222.15.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.80 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.53 earnings per share for the current year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $1.75 dividend. This is a positive change from AvalonBay Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. AvalonBay Communities’s dividend payout ratio is presently 89.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on AVB. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday. Mizuho raised AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $239.00 to $242.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $236.00 to $223.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Scotiabank dropped their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $244.00 to $241.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $247.00 to $262.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $234.33.

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.