Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Lowered to Strong Sell Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research downgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note published on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.50 to $11.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.75 to $11.50 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a report on Monday, December 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $11.00.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Performance

ARI stock opened at $10.65 on Thursday. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a twelve month low of $7.70 and a twelve month high of $11.20. The firm has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.31 and a beta of 1.54. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $10.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.20. The company has a quick ratio of 96.78, a current ratio of 96.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.26. The firm had revenue of $73.25 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $46.97 million. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a net margin of 46.66% and a return on equity of 7.94%. Analysts predict that Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance will post 0.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 125.00%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Stuart Rothstein sold 52,072 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.16, for a total value of $529,051.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 229,709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,333,843.44. The trade was a 18.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 60.4% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,832 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 1,047.8% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,145 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 2,871 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $50,000. CWM LLC lifted its position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 66.4% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,419 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 2,561 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Resources Management Corp CT ADV lifted its position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 47,757.1% during the fourth quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV now owns 6,700 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 6,686 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 54.43% of the company’s stock.

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.