Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Stock Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI)’s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $10.44 and traded as high as $11.06. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance shares last traded at $10.9650, with a volume of 1,114,083 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on ARI. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $11.50 price target for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.75 to $11.50 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $11.13.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.54 and a beta of 1.37. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $10.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.44. The company has a quick ratio of 81.80, a current ratio of 81.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.07). Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a net margin of 48.01% and a return on equity of 7.87%. The business had revenue of $58.63 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.85 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance will post 0.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 123.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

In other Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance news, Director Carmencita N.M. Whonder sold 4,574 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.93, for a total value of $49,993.82. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 24,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $271,053.07. This trade represents a 15.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 1,066 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 388.7% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 3,255 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 2,589 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 60.2% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 5,037 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 1,892 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 61.7% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 4,656 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 1,777 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the third quarter valued at about $50,000. 54.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.