Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Downgraded by Zacks Research to “Strong Sell”

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) was downgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report released on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

ARI has been the subject of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.50 to $11.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price 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. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research note 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 report on Saturday, January 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $11.00.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Performance

Shares of ARI opened at $10.65 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 96.78, a current ratio of 96.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.31 and a beta of 1.54. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $10.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.20. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a 52 week low of $7.70 and a 52 week high of $11.20.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.26. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a return on equity of 7.94% and a net margin of 46.66%.The company had revenue of $73.25 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $46.97 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance will post 0.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

In other news, CEO Stuart Rothstein sold 52,072 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.16, for a total transaction of $529,051.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 229,709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,333,843.44. The trade was a 18.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 251.8% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 171,808 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,718,000 after acquiring an additional 122,970 shares during the last quarter. Carmel Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the third quarter worth about $2,275,000. AlphaCore Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 14.3% during the 2nd quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC now owns 128,147 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,240,000 after purchasing an additional 16,068 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH purchased a new stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,358,000. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,323,000. Institutional investors own 54.43% of the company’s stock.

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.