Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation (NYSE:ACRE) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $5.25 According to Analysts

Shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation (NYSE:ACRE) have received an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $5.25.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ACRE. Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from $5.50 to $5.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Monday, September 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $5.50 price objective for the company.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ares Commercial Real Estate

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Gratia Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate during the 2nd quarter valued at $248,000. Corient Private Wealth LP bought a new position in Ares Commercial Real Estate in the 2nd quarter worth about $141,000. Highland Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ares Commercial Real Estate in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Equitable Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in Ares Commercial Real Estate during the 2nd quarter valued at about $115,000. Finally, Almitas Capital LLC purchased a new position in Ares Commercial Real Estate during the 2nd quarter valued at about $814,000. 41.34% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Stock Performance

ACRE stock opened at $4.11 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $227.75 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -51.31 and a beta of 1.16. Ares Commercial Real Estate has a fifty-two week low of $4.05 and a fifty-two week high of $5.89. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $4.52 and a 200-day moving average of $4.72.

Ares Commercial Real Estate (NYSE:ACRE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.04 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $14.36 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.96 million. Ares Commercial Real Estate had a positive return on equity of 4.08% and a negative net margin of 8.04%. Equities analysts predict that Ares Commercial Real Estate will post 0.39 EPS for the current year.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 14.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. Ares Commercial Real Estate’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -750.00%.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Company Profile

Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation (NYSE: ACRE) is a specialty finance company focused on commercial real estate lending and related investments. It operates as a real estate investment trust and primarily seeks to generate income by originating and investing in loans secured by commercial properties.

The company’s portfolio has historically included senior mortgage loans, mezzanine loans and other forms of commercial real estate financing. Its lending activities support properties across a range of sectors, including office, multifamily, industrial, retail, hospitality and other commercial property types, with a focus on markets in the United States.

Founded in 2011 and publicly listed in 2012, Ares Commercial Real Estate is externally managed by an affiliate of Ares Management Corporation.