Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Sets New 12-Month Low – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $6.71 and last traded at $6.6950, with a volume of 488347 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $6.78.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ARI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. BTIG Research cut Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Zacks Research raised Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $11.50 price objective on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $11.33.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Up 0.1%

The company has a quick ratio of 81.80, a current ratio of 81.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The firm has a market cap of $884.59 million, a PE ratio of 8.35 and a beta of 1.35. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $10.20 and its 200-day moving average is $10.45.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $58.63 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $77.85 million. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a return on equity of 7.87% and a net margin of 48.01%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance will post -0.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 boost 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 221.7%. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 123.46%.

Insider Activity at Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

In other news, Director Carmencita N.M. Whonder sold 4,574 shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.93, for a total value of $49,993.82. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 24,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $271,053.07. The trade was a 15.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.52% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ARI. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 60.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,832 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 1,066 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 388.7% during the 1st 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 last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 60.2% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 5,037 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 1,892 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 61.7% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 4,656 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 1,777 shares during the period. Finally, Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 3rd quarter worth about $50,000. 54.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Company Profile

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.