Arbor Realty Trust (NYSE:ABR) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Should You Buy?

Shares of Arbor Realty Trust (NYSE:ABR) saw an uptick in trading volume on Wednesday . Approximately 2,748,986 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 33% from the previous session’s volume of 4,083,700 shares.The stock last traded at $5.3950 and had previously closed at $5.42.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Arbor Realty Trust in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Citizens Jmp cut their price objective on Arbor Realty Trust from $9.50 to $8.50 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen cut Arbor Realty Trust from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Zacks Research upgraded Arbor Realty Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Arbor Realty Trust from $7.50 to $6.50 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $8.00.

Arbor Realty Trust Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 428.41, a quick ratio of 428.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.71. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $6.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $7.23. The stock has a market cap of $1.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.94 and a beta of 1.14.

Arbor Realty Trust (NYSE:ABR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by ($0.09). Arbor Realty Trust had a return on equity of 8.49% and a net margin of 12.73%.The company had revenue of $119.67 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.86 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Arbor Realty Trust will post 0.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arbor Realty Trust Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were given a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.5%. Arbor Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 174.36%.

Insider Activity at Arbor Realty Trust

In other news, insider David Erwin Friedman bought 8,840 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $6.84 per share, for a total transaction of $60,465.60. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 68,478 shares in the company, valued at $468,389.52. This trade represents a 14.82% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 4.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Arbor Realty Trust

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ABR. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Arbor Realty Trust by 73.5% during the second quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,774 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 1,175 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Arbor Realty Trust by 33.4% in the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 5,092 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 1,276 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its stake in shares of Arbor Realty Trust by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 44,752 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $347,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400 shares in the last quarter. NFSG Corp increased its stake in shares of Arbor Realty Trust by 10.0% in the 1st quarter. NFSG Corp now owns 17,025 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $131,000 after acquiring an additional 1,553 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC lifted its position in Arbor Realty Trust by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 62,115 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $665,000 after acquiring an additional 1,749 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.25% of the company’s stock.

Arbor Realty Trust Company Profile

Arbor Realty Trust, Inc (NYSE: ABR) is a real estate investment trust specializing in the origination, acquisition, financing, structuring and management of commercial real estate loans and securities. The company focuses primarily on multifamily and commercial mortgage lending, targeting properties such as apartment communities, senior housing and healthcare facilities. Through both agency and non-agency channels, Arbor Realty Trust seeks to deliver liquidity solutions to borrowers while generating stable, risk-adjusted returns for its shareholders.

Core business activities include originating first-mortgage loans secured by multifamily and mixed-use properties, as well as providing mezzanine financing and preferred equity investments.