QRG Capital Management Inc. Lowers Holdings in Ladder Capital Corp $LADR

QRG Capital Management Inc. lowered its holdings in Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR) by 24.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 145,048 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 47,969 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. owned 0.11% of Ladder Capital worth $1,582,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ladder Capital by 111.7% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 22,189 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $253,000 after purchasing an additional 11,709 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new position in Ladder Capital during the first quarter worth about $209,000. Jane Street Group LLC increased its position in shares of Ladder Capital by 997.0% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 180,230 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,056,000 after acquiring an additional 163,800 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Ladder Capital in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $242,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ladder Capital by 30.2% in the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 30,314 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $326,000 after acquiring an additional 7,024 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.25% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LADR has been the subject of several research reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Ladder Capital from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Wall Street Zen raised Ladder Capital from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ladder Capital in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, B. Riley assumed coverage on Ladder Capital in a report on Monday, January 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $13.00 target price for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $12.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jeffrey B. Steiner sold 19,481 shares of Ladder Capital stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.89, for a total value of $212,148.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 27,311 shares in the company, valued at $297,416.79. The trade was a 41.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 12.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ladder Capital Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE LADR opened at $11.18 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $1.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.74, a PEG ratio of 7.15 and a beta of 1.01. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $11.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $11.06. Ladder Capital Corp has a 12-month low of $9.68 and a 12-month high of $11.92. The company has a current ratio of 35.60, a quick ratio of 35.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01.

Ladder Capital (NYSE:LADR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.02. Ladder Capital had a return on equity of 6.70% and a net margin of 19.26%.The firm had revenue of $57.44 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $62.90 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.30 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ladder Capital Corp will post 1.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ladder Capital Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.2%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. Ladder Capital’s dividend payout ratio is presently 146.03%.

Ladder Capital Profile

Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE: LADR) is a publicly traded commercial real estate finance company structured as a real estate investment trust. The firm specializes in originating, acquiring and managing a diversified portfolio of commercial mortgage loans, subordinate financings such as mezzanine loans and B-notes, and equity investments. In addition to direct lending activities, Ladder Capital invests in and manages commercial mortgage‐backed securities (CMBS) and commercial real estate collateralized loan obligations (CRE CLOs), providing financing across a range of property types including office, retail, multifamily, industrial and hospitality assets.

Since its inception in 2008, Ladder Capital has developed a platform that supports both balance-sheet lending and structured securitization.