Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on ARI. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.75 to $11.50 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $11.00.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Trading Up 0.2%

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock opened at $11.03 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $1.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.78 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 96.78 and a quick ratio of 96.78. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a 1 year low of $9.02 and a 1 year high of $11.24. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $10.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.28.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.26. The firm had revenue of $73.25 million for 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance will post 0.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s payout ratio is currently 125.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ARI. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 60.4% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased 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 worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 2,871 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the third quarter worth $50,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV increased its position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 47,757.1% in the fourth quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV now owns 6,700 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 6,686 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 18.8% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 7,462 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 1,183 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 54.43% of the company’s stock.

About Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

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.