Squarepoint Ops LLC Invests $5.88 Million in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance $ARI

Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 550,556 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $5,880,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 388.7% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 3,255 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 2,589 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $47,000. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 61.7% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 4,656 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 1,777 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, Markowski Investments bought a new stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the second quarter worth $55,000. 54.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Price Performance

ARI stock opened at $6.64 on Friday. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a fifty-two week low of $6.43 and a fifty-two week high of $11.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $854.17 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.31 and a beta of 1.36. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $7.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $9.58.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. Research analysts expect 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $3.75 per share. This is a positive change 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 225.7%. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s dividend payout ratio is 125.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ARI. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 31st. BTIG Research lowered shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Zacks Research cut shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 6th. Two 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $11.33.

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.