Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the seven brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $10.8750.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.75 to $11.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.50 to $11.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd.

Insider Activity at Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

In related news, CEO Stuart Rothstein sold 52,072 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.16, for a total transaction of $529,051.52. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 229,709 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,333,843.44. The trade was a 18.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 60.4% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,832 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 1,047.8% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,145 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 2,871 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 55.6% during the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,059 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 1,451 shares during the period. McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the second quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the third quarter valued at about $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 54.43% of the company’s stock.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Up 5.8%

Shares of ARI opened at $10.71 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 90.32, a quick ratio of 90.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a 12 month low of $7.70 and a 12 month high of $11.21. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $10.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.10. The firm has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.03, a PEG ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 1.54.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.02. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a return on equity of 8.34% and a net margin of 51.40%.The business had revenue of $63.88 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $49.15 million. Analysts predict that Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance will post 0.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.3%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 112.36%.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Company Profile

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc (NYSE: ARI) is a real estate finance company structured as a real estate investment trust (REIT). The company focuses on originating, acquiring and managing a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate debt and preferred equity investments. As an externally managed vehicle, ARI leverages the expertise and resources of an affiliate of Apollo Global Management, a leading global alternative investment manager.

ARI’s investment strategy is centered on providing first mortgage loans, mezzanine debt financing, bridge loans and preferred equity across a broad range of property types, including office, retail, industrial and multifamily assets.