Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Sets New 12-Month Low – What’s Next?

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) shares reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $6.62 and last traded at $6.6150, with a volume of 890083 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $6.73.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BTIG Research lowered shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Weiss Ratings downgraded Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $11.50 target price for the company. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.33.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Down 1.9%

The stock has a market capitalization of $863.67 million, a P/E ratio of 8.16 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 81.81 and a quick ratio of 81.80. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $10.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $10.41.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $58.63 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.85 million. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a net margin of 48.01% and a return on equity of 7.87%. On average, research analysts forecast that Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance will post -0.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a $3.75 dividend. This represents a $15.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 227.1%. This is an increase from Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 123.46%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Carmencita N.M. Whonder sold 4,574 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.93, for a total transaction of $49,993.82. Following the sale, the director directly owned 24,799 shares in the company, valued at $271,053.07. This represents a 15.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.52% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 111.8% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 689,903 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $6,989,000 after acquiring an additional 364,098 shares during the period. Carmel Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake 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 worth $3,044,000 after purchasing an additional 89,887 shares in the last quarter. NewGen Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the 1st quarter valued at $3,228,000. Family Manage LLC bought a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the 1st quarter valued at $1,682,000. Finally, Empyrean Capital Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 1st quarter valued at $9,332,000. 54.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.