AvalonBay Communities, Inc. vs Equinix Inc.

AVB and EQIX, both real estate, compared on the same figures computed the same way.

On our fair value model, AvalonBay Communities, Inc. looks the cheaper of the two, trading 112 percentage points further below its estimated fair value than Equinix Inc.. That is a statement about price against one model, not a forecast. Our estimate is built from normalized earning power with growth capped deliberately low, so it is systematically hard on companies whose value is mostly future growth.

AvalonBay Communities, Inc. scores higher on our moat model (73 against 63). A moat is a structural reason competitors cannot take the profits away, and over a long holding period it matters more than any single quarter's numbers.

AVB trades at 23.8 times earnings against EQIX's 72.4. A lower multiple is not automatically the better deal: on a cyclical business the low P/E arrives at the top of the cycle, right before earnings fall.

The honest answer to "which is better" is that it depends on what you are buying them for, and neither this page nor any screen can make that judgement for you. What it can do is show you the same figures for both, computed the same way, so the comparison is fair.

MetricAVBEQIX
Share price$184.06$1,012.33
Market cap$71.34B$103.67B
P/E ratio23.872.4
fair value estimate$308.39$558.63
Upside to fair value+67.5%-44.8%
Moat score73/10063/100
Dividend yield3.71%1.87%
Return on equity9.7%10.1%
Overall rating78/100, high quality37/100, low quality

Gold marks the more favourable figure on rows where “better” has an agreed direction. It is a signpost, not a verdict. A lower P/E can be a value trap; a higher yield can be a dividend about to be cut.

Full AVB research
Valuation, ownership and the screens it passes.
Full EQIX research
Valuation, ownership and the screens it passes.

Common questions

Is AVB or EQIX a better buy?

Neither page nor screen can answer that for your situation, but on the numbers: our overall rating puts AvalonBay Communities, Inc. ahead (78 to 37), and against our fair value estimate AvalonBay Communities, Inc. looks the cheaper of the two. Both readings are one model's opinion, not advice.

AVB vs EQIX: which has the wider moat?

Our moat model scores AVB at 73 and EQIX at 63 out of 100. The higher score means a more durable structural advantage, which matters most over a long holding period.

Compare any two companies yourself, with financial statements and peer data, free inside the app.

Metrics from company filings and our own valuation model, both of which can be wrong. Quotes are delayed. Fundamentals for both companies as of 11 Jul 2026. Educational information, not financial advice.