Top 5 International Companies For 2015

Top 5 International Companies For 2015: Mid-America Apartment Communities Inc (MAA)

Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc., incorporated on September 22, 1993, is a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company focuses on acquiring, owning and operating apartment communities in the Sunbelt region of the United States. The Companys segments include Large market same store communities , Secondary market same store communities and Non same store communities and other . As of December 31, 2012 , the Company owned 100% of 160 properties representing 47,809 apartment units. Four properties include retail components with approximately 108,000 square feet of gross leasable area.

As of December 31, 2012 , the Company also had 33.33% ownership interests in Mid-America Multifamily Fund I, LLC, or Fund I, and Mid-America Multifamily Fund II, LLC, or Fund II, which owned two properties containing 626 apartment units and four properties containing 1,156 apartment units, respectively. These apartment communities we re located across 13 states. In October 2013, Mid-America Apartment Communities Inc merged with Colonial Properties Trust. In October 2013, Mid America Apartment Communities Inc and Colonial Properties Trust announced the completion of the merger of the two companies.

The Companys Large market same store communities are generally communities in markets with a population of at least one million and at least 1% of the total public multifamily REIT units that the Company has owned and that has been stabilized for at least a full 12 months and have not been classified as held for sale. Communities are considered stabilized after achieving and maintaining at least 90% occupancy for 90 days. Secondary market same store communities are generally communities in markets with populations of more than one million but less than 1% of the total public multifamily REIT units or markets with populations of less than one million that the Company! has owned and that has been s tabilized for at least a full 12 months and have not been cl! assified as held for sale. Communities are considered stabilized after achieving and maintaining at least 90% occupancy for 90 days. Non same store communities and other includes recent acquisitions, communities in development or lease-up and communities that have been classified as held for sale. Also included in non same store communities are non multifamily activities which represent less than 1% of the Company's portfolio.

The Company's business is conducted principally through Mid-America Apartments, L.P., which the Company refers to as its Operating Partnership. As of December 31, 2012 , the Company owned or had an ownership interest in 166 multifamily apartment communities in 13 different states. The Company also provides its own in-house leadership development program, which consists of a three-module program followed by two comprehensive case studies, which was developed with the assistance of U.S. Learning, Inc. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company purchased 10.6 acres of land and began construction on a new 270-unit community located in the Charleston, South Carolina metropolitan area. As of December 31, 2012 , no units have been delivered for the land in Charleston, South Carolina. During 2012, the Company also purchased 2.0 acres of land and began construction on a new 294-unit community located in Jacksonville, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GURUFOCUS]

  Mid-America Apartment Communities Inc. (MAA) is an independent real estate investment trust. Dec. 3, the company increased its quarterly dividend 5% to $0.73 per share. The dividend is payable on Jan. 31, 2014, to shareholders of record on Jan. 15, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 4.8%.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Apartment-only real estate investment trustMid-America Apartment Communities (NYSE: MAA  ) once again is snapping up properties, this time a! nnouncing! Monday that it is addingmultifamily housing operator Colonial Properties Trust (NYSE: CLP  ) to its portfolio in an $8.6 billion transaction.

• [By Sean Williams]

  Living in a renter's paradise
  The last quarter has been rough on housing and office space real estate investment trusts, with 30-year mortgage rates spiking from less than 3.5% to as high as 4.75% recently. Low lending rates were one of the keys fueling the housing rally higher, so higher lending rates stemming from the potential wind-down of QE3 could serve to stymie growth. Yet for residential-REITs like Mid-America Apartment Communities (NYSE: MAA  ) , the effect would actually be extremely positive.

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Apartment community property real estate investment trust Mid-America Apartment Communities (MAA) raised its quarterly dividend 5% to 73 cents per share, payable on Jan. 31 to shareholders of record as of Jan. 15.
  MAA Dividend Yield: 4.69%

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-5-international-companies-for-2015.html