Prudential Financial Inc. Sells 5,232 Shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA)

Prudential Financial Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 290,346 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 5,232 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc.’s holdings in Mid-America Apartment Communities were worth $44,879,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 7,978 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,233,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 37.2% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 251 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 11,220 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,704,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC now owns 4,828 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $746,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. 93.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Stock Performance

Shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities stock opened at $163.19 on Wednesday. Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.73 and a 52 week high of $173.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a current ratio of 0.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.43, a PEG ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.90. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $158.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $157.48.

Mid-America Apartment Communities (NYSE:MAA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.23 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. will post 8.84 EPS for the current year.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.515 per share. This represents a $6.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. Mid-America Apartment Communities’s payout ratio is 135.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MAA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Mid-America Apartment Communities from $174.00 to $164.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Evercore ISI lifted 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. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Mid-America Apartment Communities from $163.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $160.00 target price on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $168.90.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Profile

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.