Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Cut to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report released on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Zacks Research lowered Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Bank of America assumed coverage on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $11.50 price objective on the stock. Finally, BTIG Research lowered Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $11.33.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Price Performance

Shares of ARI stock opened at $6.90 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $886.93 million, a PE ratio of 8.62 and a beta of 1.36. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $8.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.81. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a 12 month low of $6.43 and a 12 month high of $11.24.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The real estate investment trust reported ($2.62) EPS for the quarter. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a net margin of 55.49% and a return on equity of 7.39%. The business had revenue of $44.38 million during the quarter. Sell-side analysts forecast that Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance will post -0.18 EPS 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a $3.75 dividend. This represents a $15.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 217.4%. 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 125.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 388.7% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 3,255 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 2,589 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the second quarter worth about $47,000. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 61.7% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 4,656 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 1,777 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 60.2% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 5,037 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 1,892 shares during the period. 54.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.