Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

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

A number of research firms have weighed in on ARI. Wall Street Zen cut Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 6th. 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. BTIG Research cut Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Performance

Shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock opened at $6.68 on Friday. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a 1 year low of $6.43 and a 1 year high of $11.24. The company has a market capitalization of $859.29 million, a P/E ratio of 8.36 and a beta of 1.36. The company’s fifty day moving average is $7.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.60.

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) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $44.38 million for the quarter. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a return on equity of 7.39% and a net margin of 55.49%. As a group, equities analysts expect 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 company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a dividend of $3.75 per share. This represents a $15.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a 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 presently 125.00%.

Institutional Trading of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings 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 during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the 2nd quarter valued at about $47,000. Parallel Advisors LLC increased 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the third quarter valued at about $50,000. 54.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.