Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,150,000 shares, an increase of 52.0% from the October 15th total of 756,600 shares. Currently, 1.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 733,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.6 days.

Ladder Capital Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:LADR traded down $0.06 on Friday, reaching $11.64. The company had a trading volume of 364,979 shares, compared to its average volume of 636,366. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.32 and a beta of 1.94. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $11.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $11.51. Ladder Capital has a twelve month low of $10.10 and a twelve month high of $12.48. The company has a quick ratio of 54.44, a current ratio of 54.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.34.

Ladder Capital (NYSE:LADR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.26 by $0.04. Ladder Capital had a return on equity of 9.14% and a net margin of 18.90%. The firm had revenue of $128.64 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.85 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.28 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Ladder Capital will post 1 EPS for the current year.

Ladder Capital Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.90%. Ladder Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 121.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on LADR. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Ladder Capital from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. B. Riley upped their price target on shares of Ladder Capital from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $13.50 price objective on shares of Ladder Capital in a report on Friday, July 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Ladder Capital from $12.50 to $13.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $13.50 price target on shares of Ladder Capital in a research note on Friday, August 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ladder Capital has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $13.33.

Insider Activity at Ladder Capital

In other Ladder Capital news, President Pamela Mccormack sold 50,000 shares of Ladder Capital stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.25, for a total transaction of $612,500.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 548,863 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,723,571.75. The trade was a 8.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Robert Perelman sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.15, for a total value of $303,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 351,453 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,270,153.95. The trade was a 6.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 12.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ladder Capital

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LADR. Quest Partners LLC boosted its stake in Ladder Capital by 13,513.5% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 7,079 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 7,027 shares during the period. Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of Ladder Capital by 1,832.9% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 8,118 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $94,000 after acquiring an additional 7,698 shares during the period. MQS Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ladder Capital in the second quarter worth $128,000. Algert Global LLC bought a new position in Ladder Capital during the second quarter worth $130,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Ladder Capital during the 1st quarter valued at $148,000. 62.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Ladder Capital

Ladder Capital Corp operates as an internally-managed real estate investment trust in the United States. It operates through three segments: Loans, Securities, and Real Estate. The Loans segment originates conduit first mortgage loans that are secured by cash-flowing commercial real estate; and originates and invests in balance sheet first mortgage loans secured by commercial real estate properties that are undergoing transition, including lease-up, sell-out, and renovation or repositioning.