Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) saw a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 5,099,550 shares, an increase of 26.7% from the February 26th total of 4,025,818 shares. Currently, 3.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,400,972 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.6 days.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Trading Down 0.5%

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock traded down $0.06 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $10.51. 62,050 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,376,940. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.13 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a quick ratio of 96.78, a current ratio of 96.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $10.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $10.22. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a fifty-two week low of $7.70 and a fifty-two week high of $11.20.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.26. The business had revenue of $73.25 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $46.97 million. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a return on equity of 7.94% and a net margin of 46.66%. On average, equities analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s payout ratio is presently 125.00%.

Institutional Trading of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in 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 valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 2,871 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the third quarter worth $50,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV lifted its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 47,757.1% in 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 buying an additional 6,686 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 18.8% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 7,462 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 1,183 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.43% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.75 to $11.50 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $11.00.

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.