Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Receives $11.33 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the six research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $11.3333.

ARI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BTIG Research cut Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Bank of America assumed 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 target price for the company. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ARI opened at $6.61 on Thursday. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a 1-year low of $6.53 and a 1-year high of $11.24. The business has a 50-day moving average of $9.94 and a 200-day moving average of $10.39. 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 company has a market capitalization of $863.67 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.15 and a beta of 1.35.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) last posted its earnings results 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 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance will post -0.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $3.75 per share. This is an increase 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 227.1%. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 123.46%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Carmencita N.M. Whonder sold 4,574 shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $271,053.07. The trade was a 15.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.52% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ARI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of 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 worth $6,989,000 after purchasing an additional 364,098 shares during the last quarter. Carmel Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 89,887 shares in the last quarter. NewGen Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the first quarter worth about $3,228,000. Family Manage LLC acquired a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the first quarter worth about $1,682,000. Finally, Readystate Asset Management LP acquired a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the first quarter worth about $4,760,000. 54.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

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.