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

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $10.8750.

ARI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.75 to $11.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research report on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 3rd.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

In other news, CEO Stuart Rothstein sold 52,072 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.16, for a total value of $529,051.52. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 229,709 shares in the company, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 60.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,832 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 1,047.8% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,145 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 2,871 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the second quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the third quarter valued at approximately $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%

NYSE:ARI opened at $10.71 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 90.32, a current ratio of 90.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $10.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.10. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a 52 week low of $7.70 and a 52 week high of $11.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 1.54.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $63.88 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $49.15 million. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a return on equity of 8.34% and a net margin of 51.40%. Research analysts anticipate that Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance will post 0.63 EPS for the current year.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.3%. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s payout ratio 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.