Ares Commercial Real Estate (NYSE:ACRE) Share Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation (NYSE:ACRE) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $4.90 and traded as high as $5.32. Ares Commercial Real Estate shares last traded at $5.23, with a volume of 346,853 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ACRE. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from $4.50 to $5.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from $5.50 to $6.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Ares Commercial Real Estate presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $5.33.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Stock Down 1.5%

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $5.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $4.90. The stock has a market cap of $284.05 million, a PE ratio of -256.50 and a beta of 1.23.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.7%. Ares Commercial Real Estate’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -3,000.00%.

Insider Transactions at Ares Commercial Real Estate

In other Ares Commercial Real Estate news, CFO Jeffrey Michael Gonzales sold 6,218 shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.93, for a total value of $30,654.74. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 88,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $436,467.69. The trade was a 6.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Anton Feingold sold 7,606 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.93, for a total value of $37,497.58. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 92,754 shares in the company, valued at $457,277.22. This trade represents a 7.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 35,585 shares of company stock valued at $175,434. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ares Commercial Real Estate

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ACRE. LPL Financial LLC raised its stake in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 27,950 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $134,000 after purchasing an additional 2,284 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 41,019 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $185,000 after acquiring an additional 3,371 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 94.3% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,997 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 3,396 shares during the last quarter. HRT Financial LP grew its position in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 36.0% in the fourth quarter. HRT Financial LP now owns 16,790 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 4,445 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evoke Wealth LLC increased its stake in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 232,262 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,145,000 after acquiring an additional 4,936 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 41.34% of the company’s stock.

About Ares Commercial Real Estate

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.