Groupe la Francaise Acquires 5,826 Shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. $AVB

Groupe la Francaise lifted its stake in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 22.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 32,072 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 5,826 shares during the period. Groupe la Francaise’s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $5,239,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AVB. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Clearstead Trust LLC increased its position in AvalonBay Communities by 56.0% in the first quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 156 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 160 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. BOKF NA acquired a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in AvalonBay Communities during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.61% of the company’s stock.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Performance

AvalonBay Communities stock opened at $185.82 on Friday. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 12-month low of $160.10 and a 12-month high of $198.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $187.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $179.70. The stock has a market cap of $26.40 billion, a PE ratio of 30.36, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.77.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The real estate investment trust reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.23 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $777.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $772.37 million. AvalonBay Communities had a return on equity of 8.58% and a net margin of 33.33%.During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.82 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AvalonBay Communities Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a dividend of $1.78 per share. This represents a $7.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. AvalonBay Communities’s dividend payout ratio is currently 116.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on AVB shares. Barclays restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $205.00 price objective (up from $203.00) on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $201.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from an “outperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $209.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, June 1st. Jefferies Financial Group raised AvalonBay Communities to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AvalonBay Communities presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $196.80.

AvalonBay Communities Profile

AvalonBay Communities, Inc (NYSE: AVB) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns, develops, redevelops and manages multifamily residential properties. The company focuses on professionally managed apartment communities, offering a range of rental housing options and related resident services. As a REIT, AvalonBay’s core activities center on the acquisition and development of apartment assets and the ongoing operations and leasing of those communities.

AvalonBay’s operating activities include ground-up development, strategic redevelopment of existing properties, property and asset management, and on-site leasing and resident services.