Barclays PLC Sells 82,870 Shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

Barclays PLC decreased its holdings in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 27.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 215,945 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 82,870 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned about 0.15% of AvalonBay Communities worth $47,501,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Savvy Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 18.4% in the 4th quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. now owns 5,587 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,229,000 after acquiring an additional 869 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 5,359 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,179,000 after buying an additional 459 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 11,100 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,441,000 after buying an additional 551 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 56.3% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 8,453 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,859,000 after buying an additional 3,044 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heritage Trust Co bought a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the 4th quarter worth approximately $637,000. Institutional investors own 92.61% of the company’s stock.

AvalonBay Communities Price Performance

Shares of AVB opened at $202.93 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $28.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.74, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.86. The business’s 50-day moving average is $211.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $219.22. 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 fifty-two week low of $180.17 and a fifty-two week high of $239.29.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.80 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts predict that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 earnings per share for the current year.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $1.75 per share. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from AvalonBay Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. AvalonBay Communities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 92.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on AVB shares. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley lowered AvalonBay Communities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $236.00 to $223.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Zelman & Associates raised shares of AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $237.47.

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.