Hantz Financial Services Inc. Decreases Position in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB)

Hantz Financial Services Inc. lessened its holdings in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 27,278 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 1,016 shares during the quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $6,000,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its position in AvalonBay Communities by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 338,796 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $74,525,000 after purchasing an additional 2,209 shares during the period. Vert Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. Vert Asset Management LLC now owns 63,461 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $13,960,000 after acquiring an additional 5,350 shares during the period. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC now owns 2,192 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $482,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 14.2% in the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,062 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $234,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 35.6% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,617 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $815,000 after acquiring an additional 949 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.61% of the company’s stock.

AvalonBay Communities Trading Down 1.9 %

AvalonBay Communities stock opened at $215.27 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.64. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a one year low of $169.37 and a one year high of $239.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.62 billion, a PE ratio of 29.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.99. The business’s fifty day moving average is $222.63 and its 200 day moving average is $221.51.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). The business had revenue of $734.31 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $731.67 million. AvalonBay Communities had a net margin of 36.20% and a return on equity of 8.84%. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.66 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.04 EPS for the current year.

AvalonBay Communities Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $1.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.16%. AvalonBay Communities’s payout ratio is 93.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Timothy J. Naughton sold 23,697 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.47, for a total value of $5,532,538.59. Following the transaction, the director now owns 87,239 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,367,689.33. This trade represents a 21.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on AVB shares. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $243.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of AvalonBay Communities from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their target price for the company from $236.00 to $223.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Mizuho raised shares of AvalonBay Communities from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $239.00 to $242.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $234.00 to $233.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Scotiabank cut their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $244.00 to $241.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $234.60.

AvalonBay Communities Profile

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.