Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC Sells 13,500 Shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC lowered its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 93.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 13,500 shares during the quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC’s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $220,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in AvalonBay Communities in the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in AvalonBay Communities in the 3rd quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in AvalonBay Communities by 312.5% in the 4th quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 363 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.61% of the company’s stock.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE AVB opened at $209.55 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 1.64. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 52 week low of $177.40 and a 52 week high of $239.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.61, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.00. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $218.02 and its 200 day moving average is $223.38.

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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.34%. This is a boost from AvalonBay Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. AvalonBay Communities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 92.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AVB. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Truist Financial increased their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Mizuho upgraded AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $239.00 to $242.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut AvalonBay Communities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $236.00 to $223.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AvalonBay Communities has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $238.64.

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.