Ares Commercial Real Estate’s (ACRE) “Neutral” Rating Reiterated at BTIG Research

BTIG Research reissued their neutral rating on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate (NYSE:ACRE) in a report released on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports.

ACRE has been the subject of a number of other reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from $7.50 to $7.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Monday, May 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $8.42.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Stock Performance

NYSE:ACRE opened at $7.67 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.29, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $7.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $7.68. The stock has a market cap of $418.07 million, a P/E ratio of -9.24 and a beta of 1.46. Ares Commercial Real Estate has a 1-year low of $6.36 and a 1-year high of $11.24.

Ares Commercial Real Estate (NYSE:ACRE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 9th. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.64) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.30) by ($0.34). The firm had revenue of $18.69 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $43.77 million. Ares Commercial Real Estate had a negative net margin of 54.60% and a positive return on equity of 0.84%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.26 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Ares Commercial Real Estate will post -1.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 16th. Investors of record on Friday, June 28th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 28th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 13.04%. Ares Commercial Real Estate’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -120.48%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ares Commercial Real Estate

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 33.7% in the fourth quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 136,850 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,418,000 after purchasing an additional 34,491 shares during the period. MGO One Seven LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 2,609.3% in the fourth quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 570,331 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $5,909,000 after acquiring an additional 549,280 shares in the last quarter. Relative Value Partners Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Relative Value Partners Group LLC now owns 416,194 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $4,312,000 after acquiring an additional 6,588 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 21.9% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 29,395 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $305,000 after acquiring an additional 5,286 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.34% of the company’s stock.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Company Profile

Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation, a specialty finance company, originates and invests in commercial real estate (CRE) loans and related investments in the United States. It provides a range of financing solutions for the owners, operators, and sponsors of CRE properties. The company originates senior mortgage loans, subordinate debt and preferred equity products, mezzanine loans, and other CRE investments, including commercial mortgage-backed securities.