AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) Price Target Cut to $187.00 by Analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) had its price target lowered by Royal Bank Of Canada from $191.00 to $187.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. Royal Bank Of Canada currently has a sector perform rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on AVB. Colliers Securities restated a “neutral” rating and set a $195.00 price target (down from $200.00) on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $199.00 to $191.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on AvalonBay Communities from $215.00 to $193.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded AvalonBay Communities from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $172.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Six investment 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 stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $202.83.

AvalonBay Communities Price Performance

AVB opened at $173.68 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $179.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $184.91. AvalonBay Communities has a 52-week low of $166.73 and a 52-week high of $230.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.01. AvalonBay Communities had a net margin of 34.57% and a return on equity of 8.78%. The company had revenue of $678.85 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $766.38 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.80 earnings per share. AvalonBay Communities has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.000-11.500 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.730-2.830 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that AvalonBay Communities will post 11.48 EPS for the current year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a $1.78 dividend. This is a boost from AvalonBay Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. This represents a $7.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. AvalonBay Communities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.85%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AvalonBay Communities

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,800,375 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $4,639,876,000 after buying an additional 127,693 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 1.0% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,537,966 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,858,788,000 after buying an additional 92,467 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in AvalonBay Communities during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,394,225,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,497,047 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $815,360,000 after purchasing an additional 383,983 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in AvalonBay Communities by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,215,821 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $814,376,000 after buying an additional 249,171 shares during the period. 92.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More AvalonBay Communities News

Here are the key news stories impacting AvalonBay Communities this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly FFO and operating metrics topped estimates: AVB reported core FFO of $2.85/share (vs. $2.84 consensus), same-store NOI and occupancy improved, supporting cash flow and valuation. Zacks: Q4 FFO Tops Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Operational strength: management highlighted record-low turnover and improved resident retention, which reduces leasing costs and supports margins. Commercial Observer: Turnover Rate Drops
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase: AVB raised the quarterly payout to $1.78 (1.7% increase), lifting the yield and supporting income-oriented investor demand. MSN: Dividend Raised
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance and growth plan: management forecasts modest 1.4% revenue growth for 2026 and is targeting ~$800M in new development starts — signals measured growth but also capital deployment that investors should monitor. MSN: 2026 Forecast & Development
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings materials and call transcript available for detail — useful for modeling rent, capex and leasing assumptions. Seeking Alpha: Q4 Call Transcript Seeking Alpha: Earnings Presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst action: RBC trimmed its price target from $191 to $187 and holds a “sector perform” rating — reduces near-term upside expectations and may limit enthusiasm from some institutional buyers. Benzinga: RBC Price Target Cut
• Negative Sentiment: Rate/headwind risk: coverage notes higher interest expenses are weighing on results; sustained higher rates would pressure margins and valuations for REITs like AVB. Zacks: Interest Expense Headwind

AvalonBay Communities Company 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.