Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC Has $1.28 Million Stock Position in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC lowered its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,806 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 92 shares during the quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $1,277,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in AvalonBay Communities during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in AvalonBay Communities during the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in AvalonBay Communities during the 3rd quarter valued at about $51,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 59.9% in 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 purchasing an additional 179 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the third quarter worth approximately $126,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.61% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on AVB. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley lowered 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 raised AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $239.00 to $242.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Zelman & Associates raised AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $270.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AvalonBay Communities has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $235.73.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Performance

NYSE:AVB opened at $217.97 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.00 billion, a PE ratio of 28.72, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.99. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 1 year low of $172.85 and a 1 year high of $239.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $219.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $222.49.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.83 by ($0.03). AvalonBay Communities had a net margin of 37.13% and a return on equity of 9.15%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.53 EPS for the current year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $1.75 dividend. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. This is a boost from AvalonBay Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. AvalonBay Communities’s dividend payout ratio is currently 89.59%.

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.