Quantbot Technologies LP Makes New Investment in Ares Commercial Real Estate Co. (NYSE:ACRE)

Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate Co. (NYSE:ACRE) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 22,352 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $132,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 187.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 415,332 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,907,000 after purchasing an additional 270,791 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,272,163 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $8,907,000 after buying an additional 16,309 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 19.5% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 591,036 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,481,000 after buying an additional 96,551 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 211.0% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,741 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 5,252 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its holdings in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,052,314 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $7,627,000 after buying an additional 23,845 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.34% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Anton Feingold sold 7,615 shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.68, for a total transaction of $43,253.20. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 78,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $445,084.80. This trade represents a 8.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ACRE shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from $6.00 to $5.50 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from $6.00 to $5.25 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Ares Commercial Real Estate from $6.00 to $5.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ares Commercial Real Estate currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $5.81.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Price Performance

Shares of ACRE opened at $4.70 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $257.55 million, a P/E ratio of -7.22 and a beta of 1.57. The business’s fifty day moving average is $5.20 and its 200 day moving average is $6.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17. Ares Commercial Real Estate Co. has a 12-month low of $4.61 and a 12-month high of $7.99.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.78%. Ares Commercial Real Estate’s payout ratio is -92.31%.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Company Profile

Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation, a specialty finance company, originates and invests in commercial real estate (CRE) loans and related investments in the United States. It provides a range of financing solutions for the owners, operators, and sponsors of CRE properties. The company originates senior mortgage loans, subordinate debt and preferred equity products, mezzanine loans, and other CRE investments, including commercial mortgage-backed securities.