Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Shares Acquired by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) by 10.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,815 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,023 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance were worth $419,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ARI. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 327.1% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,045 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 2,332 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 57.9% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,425 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,256 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 783.8% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 4,366 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 3,872 shares during the last quarter. CF Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the 4th quarter worth about $52,000. Finally, Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the 4th quarter worth about $67,000. 54.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Price Performance

NYSE:ARI opened at $9.86 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $1.37 billion, a P/E ratio of -328.67, a PEG ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 1.46. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a one year low of $7.70 and a one year high of $11.20. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $9.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 74.89 and a quick ratio of 74.89.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s dividend payout ratio is -3,333.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Mark C. Biderman sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.48, for a total value of $94,800.00. Following the sale, the director owned 60,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $576,260.76. This represents a 14.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Stuart Rothstein sold 52,074 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.83, for a total transaction of $511,887.42. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 333,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,281,784.82. This represents a 13.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ARI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.00 to $10.50 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. BTIG Research upgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $11.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $10.00 target price (up previously from $9.00) on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $10.13.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Company Profile

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) that originates, acquires, invests in, and manages commercial first mortgage loans, subordinate financings, and other commercial real estate-related debt investments in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe.