Advisors Asset Management Inc. Decreases Holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance $ARI

Advisors Asset Management Inc. lowered its position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) by 37.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 290,720 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 174,317 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.21% of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance worth $2,945,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 251.8% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 171,808 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,718,000 after buying an additional 122,970 shares in the last quarter. Carmel Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,275,000. AlphaCore Capital LLC grew its stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 14.3% in the 2nd quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC now owns 128,147 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,240,000 after acquiring an additional 16,068 shares during the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH purchased a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,358,000. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the second quarter worth about $5,323,000. 54.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Performance

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock opened at $10.61 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 96.78, a quick ratio of 90.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $10.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $10.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.26 and a beta of 1.54. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a 52 week low of $7.70 and a 52 week high of $11.20.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.26. The firm had revenue of $73.25 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $46.97 million. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a net margin of 46.66% and a return on equity of 7.94%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance will post 0.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.4%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s payout ratio is 125.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on ARI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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 report on Monday, November 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.75 to $11.50 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen cut Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Stuart Rothstein sold 52,072 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 229,709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,333,843.44. This trade represents a 18.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance 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.