SG Americas Securities LLC Sells 54,505 Shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance $ARI

SG Americas Securities LLC lowered its stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) by 54.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 45,435 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 54,505 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance were worth $480,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ARI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 111.8% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 689,903 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $6,989,000 after purchasing an additional 364,098 shares during the period. Carmel Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 40.0% in the 4th quarter. Carmel Capital Partners LLC now owns 314,501 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,044,000 after buying an additional 89,887 shares in the last quarter. RDST Capital LLC bought a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 3rd quarter worth $1,490,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the fourth quarter worth $2,393,000. Finally, Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 174.4% in the fourth quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 128,801 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,247,000 after acquiring an additional 81,862 shares during the period. 54.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Performance

NYSE:ARI opened at $10.14 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.52 and a beta of 1.35. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a fifty-two week low of $9.49 and a fifty-two week high of $11.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 81.80 and a current ratio of 81.81. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $10.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $10.59.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $58.63 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $77.85 million. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a net margin of 48.01% and a return on equity of 7.87%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance will post 0.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $3.75 per share. This is a positive change from Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $15.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 147.9%. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 123.46%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Carmencita N.M. Whonder sold 4,574 shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $271,053.07. This trade represents a 15.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.52% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ARI has been the topic of several research reports. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $11.50 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. BTIG Research lowered shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $11.12.

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.