Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Sets New 52-Week Low – What’s Next?

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ARI shares. BTIG Research cut Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Wall Street Zen cut Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $11.50 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $11.33.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $10.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.50. The company has a current ratio of 81.81, a quick ratio of 81.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market cap of $874.13 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.24 and a beta of 1.35.

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

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a $3.75 dividend. This represents a $15.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend 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 (DPR) is currently 123.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

In related news, Director Carmencita N.M. Whonder sold 4,574 shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.93, for a total transaction of $49,993.82. Following the transaction, the director owned 24,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $271,053.07. This trade represents a 15.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.52% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ARI. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 388.7% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 3,255 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 2,589 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 60.2% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 5,037 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 1,892 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position 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 buying an additional 1,777 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 3rd quarter worth $50,000. Institutional investors own 54.43% of the company’s stock.

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.