Ladder Capital (NYSE:LADR) Stock Price Breaks Above 50 Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR)’s stock price passed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $9.25 and traded as high as $9.41. Ladder Capital shares last traded at $9.3750, with a volume of 2,923,744 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on LADR. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ladder Capital from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on Ladder Capital from $10.75 to $10.25 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 9th. B. Riley Financial reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Ladder Capital in a report on Monday, October 19th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Ladder Capital from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $10.25 target price on shares of Ladder Capital in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $12.29.

Ladder Capital Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.98, a current ratio of 49.90 and a quick ratio of 49.89. The stock has a market cap of $1.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.72, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.96. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $9.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $9.93.

Ladder Capital (NYSE:LADR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 16th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.02. Ladder Capital had a return on equity of 6.98% and a net margin of 23.70%. The company had revenue of $118.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $79.67 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.25 EPS. Ladder Capital’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ladder Capital Corp will post 0.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ladder Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 30th were issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.8%. Ladder Capital’s dividend payout ratio is presently 115.00%.

Institutional Trading of Ladder Capital

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Ladder Capital by 7.9% in the third quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 247,090 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,157,000 after purchasing an additional 18,051 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Ladder Capital by 35.7% in the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 49,861 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $435,000 after purchasing an additional 13,128 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in Ladder Capital by 188.6% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 63,200 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $552,000 after acquiring an additional 41,300 shares in the last quarter. Access Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Ladder Capital by 18.3% in the 3rd quarter. Access Investment Management LLC now owns 571,897 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $4,993,000 after buying an additional 88,451 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Samalin Investment Counsel LLC lifted its position in shares of Ladder Capital by 10.0% during the 3rd quarter. Samalin Investment Counsel LLC now owns 16,824 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $147,000 after buying an additional 1,536 shares in the last quarter. 62.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ladder Capital

Ladder Capital Corp. (NYSE:LADR) is a commercial real estate finance company that operates as a real estate investment trust. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in New York, the company provides financing to commercial property owners and invests in commercial real estate-related assets.

Ladder Capital’s activities include originating and acquiring first mortgage loans, mezzanine loans and other commercial real estate debt, as well as investing in commercial mortgage-backed securities. The company also owns and manages a portfolio of commercial real estate properties, giving it exposure to both real estate lending and property ownership.

The company primarily serves the United States commercial real estate market, with investments and lending activities spanning property types such as office, multifamily, industrial, retail and hospitality.