IRON Financial LLC Purchases 93 Shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA)

IRON Financial LLC grew its position in Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,914 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 93 shares during the quarter. IRON Financial LLC’s holdings in Mid-America Apartment Communities were worth $450,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MAA. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Mid-America Apartment Communities during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in the 3rd quarter worth $45,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 30.5% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 321 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on MAA shares. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $160.00 price objective on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Mizuho reduced their price target on Mid-America Apartment Communities from $163.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Mid-America Apartment Communities from $169.00 to $165.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 1st. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Mid-America Apartment Communities from $157.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on Mid-America Apartment Communities from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Mid-America Apartment Communities currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $166.00.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MAA opened at $153.59 on Tuesday. Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. has a one year low of $121.51 and a one year high of $167.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.09 and a current ratio of 0.09. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $155.04 and a 200 day moving average of $154.69. The firm has a market cap of $17.95 billion, a PE ratio of 34.67, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.91.

Mid-America Apartment Communities (NYSE:MAA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18 by ($1.20). Mid-America Apartment Communities had a return on equity of 8.38% and a net margin of 23.84%. The business had revenue of $551.13 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $548.53 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.29 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be issued a $1.515 dividend. This represents a $6.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.95%. This is a positive change from Mid-America Apartment Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.47. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 15th. Mid-America Apartment Communities’s payout ratio is presently 136.79%.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Company Profile

MAA, an S&P 500 company, is a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on delivering full-cycle and superior investment performance for shareholders through the ownership, management, acquisition, development and redevelopment of quality apartment communities primarily in the Southeast, Southwest and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.