Zacks Research Comments on AvalonBay Communities, Inc.’s Q1 2026 Earnings (NYSE:AVB)

AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research cut their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for shares of AvalonBay Communities in a research note issued to investors on Friday, April 19th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the real estate investment trust will post earnings of $2.98 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $2.99. The consensus estimate for AvalonBay Communities’ current full-year earnings is $10.80 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for AvalonBay Communities’ FY2026 earnings at $12.06 EPS.

AVB has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Barclays upgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $194.00 to $204.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $207.00 price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. KeyCorp reissued a “sector weight” rating on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a report on Friday, January 5th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of AvalonBay Communities from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $175.00 to $191.50 in a report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $191.00 price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AvalonBay Communities presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $196.78.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Performance

AVB opened at $186.87 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $26.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.53, a PEG ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.92. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $181.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $178.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. AvalonBay Communities has a 1-year low of $160.45 and a 1-year high of $198.65.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.73 by ($1.03). AvalonBay Communities had a net margin of 33.56% and a return on equity of 7.98%. The company had revenue of $704.71 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $701.67 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.59 EPS.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AvalonBay Communities

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in AvalonBay Communities in the 4th quarter worth about $1,271,756,000. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC grew its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 70.8% during the 4th quarter. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC now owns 835,133 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $156,354,000 after purchasing an additional 346,214 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 17.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,298,186 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $394,690,000 after purchasing an additional 341,332 shares during the period. Heitman Real Estate Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 307.4% during the 4th quarter. Heitman Real Estate Securities LLC now owns 351,104 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $65,734,000 after purchasing an additional 264,923 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 2,140.1% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 213,727 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $40,347,000 after purchasing an additional 204,186 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.61% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at AvalonBay Communities

In related news, EVP Joanne M. Lockridge sold 1,750 shares of AvalonBay Communities stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.10, for a total value of $323,925.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 21,907 shares in the company, valued at $4,054,985.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Joanne M. Lockridge sold 1,750 shares of AvalonBay Communities stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.10, for a total value of $323,925.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 21,907 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,054,985.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kevin P. O’shea sold 5,000 shares of AvalonBay Communities stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.65, for a total value of $928,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 31,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,812,330.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

AvalonBay Communities Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 28th were issued a $1.70 dividend. This is a boost from AvalonBay Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.65. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $6.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.64%. AvalonBay Communities’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 103.82%.

AvalonBay Communities Company Profile

As of December 31, 2023, the Company owned or held a direct or indirect ownership interest in 299 apartment communities containing 90,669 apartment homes in 12 states and the District of Columbia, of which 18 communities were under development. The Company is an equity REIT in the business of developing, redeveloping, acquiring and managing apartment communities in leading metropolitan areas in New England, the New York/New Jersey Metro area, the Mid-Atlantic, the Pacific Northwest, and Northern and Southern California, as well as in the Company's expansion regions of Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte, North Carolina, Southeast Florida, Dallas and Austin, Texas, and Denver, Colorado.