Ares Commercial Real Estate (NYSE:ACRE) Share Price Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation (NYSE:ACRE)’s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $4.88 and traded as high as $5.03. Ares Commercial Real Estate shares last traded at $5.0150, with a volume of 443,669 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate in a report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research cut Ares Commercial Real Estate from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen raised Ares Commercial Real Estate from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 15th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Ares Commercial Real Estate from $4.50 to $5.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $5.33.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Trading Up 1.1%

The stock has a market cap of $277.68 million, a P/E ratio of -250.75, a PEG ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 1.26. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $5.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $4.88.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.0%. Ares Commercial Real Estate’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -3,000.00%.

Insider Transactions at Ares Commercial Real Estate

In related news, CEO Bryan Patrick Donohoe sold 21,761 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.93, for a total value of $107,281.73. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 250,197 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,233,471.21. This trade represents a 8.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Jeffrey Michael Gonzales sold 6,218 shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.93, for a total value of $30,654.74. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 88,533 shares in the company, valued at $436,467.69. This trade represents a 6.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 35,585 shares of company stock worth $175,434 in the last 90 days. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ACRE. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,110,321 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $14,028,000 after buying an additional 74,453 shares in the last quarter. North Ground Capital raised its stake in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 34.0% during the 4th quarter. North Ground Capital now owns 1,551,806 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $7,418,000 after acquiring an additional 393,943 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 2.9% during the third quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 1,315,902 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $5,935,000 after purchasing an additional 37,062 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 947.2% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 647,546 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,095,000 after purchasing an additional 585,711 shares during the period. Finally, Alpine Global Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate in the third quarter worth $2,679,000. Institutional investors own 41.34% of the company’s stock.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Company Profile

Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation (NYSE: ACRE) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) primarily focused on commercial real estate debt investments. Externally managed by an affiliate of Ares Management Corporation, ACRE seeks to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns through its diversified portfolio of CRE financing strategies. The company specializes in originating, acquiring, financing and managing first mortgages, mezzanine loans, preferred equity and other structured finance products.

Since its inception, Ares Commercial Real Estate has targeted a broad range of property types, including multifamily, office, industrial, retail and hospitality assets.