High Probability Advisors LLC Purchases 895 Shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

High Probability Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 36.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 3,318 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 895 shares during the period. High Probability Advisors LLC’s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $730,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. Mather Group LLC. lifted its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 38.6% during the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 201 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in AvalonBay Communities in the third quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in AvalonBay Communities by 59.9% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 478 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $105,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. 92.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AvalonBay Communities Price Performance

AvalonBay Communities stock opened at $213.72 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $223.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $220.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.24, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 1.64. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a 52-week low of $169.37 and a 52-week high of $239.29.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.61 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.71 by ($0.10). AvalonBay Communities had a net margin of 36.20% and a return on equity of 8.84%. The firm had revenue of $734.31 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $731.67 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.66 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.04 earnings per share for the current year.

AvalonBay Communities Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $1.70 per share. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. AvalonBay Communities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 93.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on AVB shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $247.00 to $262.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $243.00 target price on the stock. Scotiabank lowered their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $244.00 to $241.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 14th. 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on AvalonBay Communities from $234.00 to $233.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $234.53.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AvalonBay Communities news, Director Timothy J. Naughton sold 23,697 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.47, for a total value of $5,532,538.59. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 87,239 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,367,689.33. This trade represents a 21.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

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.