Weiss Ratings Upgrades Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) to Hold (C-)

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Weiss Ratings from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on ARI. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.00 to $10.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Zacks Research cut shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.50 to $10.75 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $10.38.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Down 1.8%

ARI opened at $9.76 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $1.36 billion, a PE ratio of -69.71, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a quick ratio of 98.25, a current ratio of 98.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $10.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $9.80. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a 52 week low of $7.70 and a 52 week high of $11.11.

Insider Transactions at Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

In other Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance news, CEO Stuart Rothstein sold 52,073 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.78, for a total value of $561,346.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 281,781 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,037,599.18. This trade represents a 15.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. CWM LLC raised its holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 39.2% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,858 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 1,087 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 55.6% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,059 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 1,451 shares in the last quarter. McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the second quarter valued at $41,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 94.1% in the 1st quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 5,909 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 2,864 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keybank National Association OH acquired a new stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the 2nd quarter valued at about $103,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.43% of the company’s stock.

About Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) that originates, acquires, invests in, and manages commercial first mortgage loans, subordinate financings, and other commercial real estate-related debt investments in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe.