Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA) Stock Position Lowered by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. lessened its position in Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA) by 47.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 986 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 883 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Mid-America Apartment Communities were worth $152,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Activest Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in the 3rd quarter worth $45,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 321 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.60% of the company’s stock.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MAA opened at $160.09 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $153.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $156.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.08 and a quick ratio of 0.08. Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. has a one year low of $123.23 and a one year high of $167.39. The company has a market capitalization of $18.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 0.91.

Mid-America Apartment Communities (NYSE:MAA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by $1.19. Mid-America Apartment Communities had a return on equity of 8.53% and a net margin of 24.03%. Analysts anticipate that Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. will post 8.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th were paid a $1.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a $6.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.79%. This is an increase from Mid-America Apartment Communities’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.47. Mid-America Apartment Communities’s payout ratio is 135.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley raised Mid-America Apartment Communities from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $159.50 to $168.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Mizuho cut their target price 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. Barclays boosted their target price on Mid-America Apartment Communities from $152.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Mid-America Apartment Communities from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Scotiabank raised Mid-America Apartment Communities from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $173.00 to $182.00 in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $167.00.

About Mid-America Apartment Communities

Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc is a real estate investment trust, which engages in the operation, acquisition, and development of apartment communities. It operates through the Same Store and Non-Same Store segments. The Same Store Communities segment represents those apartment communities that have been owned and stabilized for at least 12 months as of the first day of the calendar year.