Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Buys 1,254 Shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. $AVB

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. raised its stake in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 51.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,672 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 1,254 shares during the quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.’s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $747,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Perpetual Ltd increased its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 10,650 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,167,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional grew its holdings in AvalonBay Communities by 6.3% during the second quarter. CX Institutional now owns 973 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $198,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Probity Advisors Inc. increased its stake in AvalonBay Communities by 2.7% in the second quarter. Probity Advisors Inc. now owns 2,243 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $456,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its holdings in AvalonBay Communities by 1.0% in the first quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 6,417 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,377,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, Roundview Capital LLC raised its holdings in AvalonBay Communities by 1.7% in the first quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 3,950 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $848,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. 92.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Performance

Shares of AvalonBay Communities stock opened at $179.08 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market cap of $25.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.84. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $187.59 and its 200-day moving average is $196.02. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a one year low of $166.73 and a one year high of $239.29.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $766.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $766.22 million. AvalonBay Communities had a net margin of 38.78% and a return on equity of 9.75%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.74 EPS. Equities analysts predict that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AvalonBay Communities Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th were given a $1.75 dividend. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 30th. AvalonBay Communities’s payout ratio is currently 85.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on AVB shares. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $228.00 to $225.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $202.00 to $197.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Evercore ISI reiterated an “in-line” rating and issued a $214.00 price objective on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $215.00 to $193.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $209.54.

About AvalonBay Communities

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.