Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. Decreases Stake in Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. $MAA

Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. reduced its holdings in Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA) by 7.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 364,335 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 28,608 shares during the period. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Mid-America Apartment Communities were worth $50,610,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MAA. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in the fourth quarter worth about $750,603,000. Viking Global Investors LP purchased a new position in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in the third quarter worth about $369,597,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 621.0% in the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,208,081 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $168,805,000 after buying an additional 1,040,525 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 30.5% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,030,848 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $282,105,000 after buying an additional 474,989 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 55.5% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,135,706 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $157,761,000 after buying an additional 405,120 shares in the last quarter. 93.60% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on MAA shares. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in a research note on Friday, March 27th. BTIG Research reduced their target price on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their target price on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from $141.00 to $132.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from $136.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mid-America Apartment Communities has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $144.19.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Tamara D. Fischer purchased 1,100 shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $128.55 per share, with a total value of $141,405.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 1,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $141,405. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Amber Fairbanks sold 711 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.73, for a total transaction of $88,683.03. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,471 shares in the company, valued at $557,667.83. This trade represents a 13.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 1,039 shares of company stock worth $129,594 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Price Performance

Shares of MAA stock opened at $136.32 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.13 and a quick ratio of 0.13. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $129.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $131.72. Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. has a 12 month low of $120.30 and a 12 month high of $153.93. The company has a market capitalization of $15.87 billion, a PE ratio of 41.31 and a beta of 0.76.

Mid-America Apartment Communities (NYSE:MAA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $1.30. The business had revenue of $553.73 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $555.75 million. Mid-America Apartment Communities had a net margin of 17.60% and a return on equity of 6.61%. The business’s revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.20 EPS. Mid-America Apartment Communities has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.120 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.370-8.690 EPS. Analysts predict that Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. will post 8.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be paid a $1.53 dividend. This represents a $6.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 15th. Mid-America Apartment Communities’s payout ratio is 185.45%.

About Mid-America Apartment Communities

Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc (NYSE: MAA) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in the acquisition, development, redevelopment and operation of multifamily residential properties. The company focuses on high-barrier-to-entry apartment communities, offering a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom homes designed to meet the needs of diverse renter demographics. Its integrated business model encompasses property management, leasing, maintenance and customer service, providing residents with a comprehensive living experience under one ownership platform.

MAA’s portfolio comprises more than 100 communities and over 40,000 apartment homes across key Sun Belt markets.