Vanguard Group Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance $ARI

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,092,682 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 116,180 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance worth $146,097,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 60.4% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,832 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 1,047.8% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,145 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 2,871 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 3rd quarter worth about $50,000. KBC Group NV increased its holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 97.0% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 8,092 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $78,000 after purchasing an additional 3,985 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 18.6% during the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,346 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 1,308 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 54.43% of the company’s stock.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Price Performance

ARI stock opened at $10.99 on Tuesday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $1.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.56 and a beta of 1.37. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $10.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $10.36. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a 52-week low of $9.39 and a 52-week high of $11.24.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.29 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $58.63 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $77.85 million. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a return on equity of 7.87% and a net margin of 48.01%. Equities research analysts expect that Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance will post 0.88 EPS for the current year.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 123.46%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America assumed coverage on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $11.50 price target on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.75 to $11.50 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.13.

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.