Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the six ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $11.3333.

ARI has been the topic of several research reports. Weiss Ratings lowered Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, August 31st. Zacks Research downgraded Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 6th. Finally, BTIG Research cut shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th.

Institutional Trading of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of ARI. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the first quarter worth approximately $3,459,000. Greenland Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the second quarter worth approximately $9,238,000. Readystate Asset Management LP purchased a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the first quarter worth approximately $4,760,000. NewGen Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the first quarter worth approximately $3,228,000. Finally, Family Manage LLC acquired a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the 1st quarter valued at $1,682,000. 54.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ARI opened at $6.68 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $859.29 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.36 and a beta of 1.36. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $7.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $9.60. 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) earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $44.38 million during the quarter. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a net margin of 55.49% and a return on equity of 7.39%. On average, equities analysts anticipate 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a $3.75 dividend. This represents a $15.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 224.4%. 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 is 125.00%.

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.