Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. Increases Stock Holdings in Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA)

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. boosted its position in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA) by 271.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 289,188 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 211,308 shares during the period. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Mid-America Apartment Communities were worth $44,700,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 37.2% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 251 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities during the 3rd quarter valued at about $45,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 30.5% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 57.8% in the fourth quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 363 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Mid-America Apartment Communities in the third quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Institutional investors own 93.60% of the company’s stock.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Stock Performance

Shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities stock opened at $164.68 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $159.30 and its 200 day moving average is $157.58. The stock has a market cap of $19.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.76, a PEG ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.90. Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. has a 1 year low of $123.73 and a 1 year high of $173.38. 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 (NYSE:MAA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. will post 8.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.515 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $6.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.68%. Mid-America Apartment Communities’s payout ratio is 135.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on MAA shares. KeyCorp raised shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $180.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $160.00 price target on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Mid-America Apartment Communities from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Scotiabank raised Mid-America Apartment Communities from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $173.00 to $182.00 in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from $152.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $168.90.

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.