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

Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 2,596,865 shares, an increase of 31.0% from the February 26th total of 1,981,639 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 683,494 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.8 days. Currently, 2.3% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LADR has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Ladder Capital in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ladder Capital from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Capital One Financial set a $13.00 price objective on Ladder Capital in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research cut Ladder Capital from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, February 16th. Finally, B. Riley Financial initiated coverage on Ladder Capital in a research report on Monday, January 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $13.00 target price on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $12.92.

Ladder Capital Price Performance

NYSE:LADR traded down $0.08 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $9.78. 1,086,123 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 745,961. The company has a quick ratio of 29.65, a current ratio of 29.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.37. Ladder Capital has a 1 year low of $9.62 and a 1 year high of $11.92. The company has a market cap of $1.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.00. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $10.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $10.77.

Ladder Capital Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.4%. Ladder Capital’s payout ratio is 180.39%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ladder Capital

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Ladder Capital by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 67,881 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $746,000 after acquiring an additional 1,851 shares in the last quarter. Ruggaard & Associates LLC grew its position in shares of Ladder Capital by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Ruggaard & Associates LLC now owns 45,738 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $503,000 after purchasing an additional 1,600 shares in the last quarter. VARCOV Co. bought a new stake in Ladder Capital during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $203,000. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in Ladder Capital by 261.0% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 229,520 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,522,000 after purchasing an additional 165,938 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Asset One Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ladder Capital in the 4th quarter worth approximately $181,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.25% of the company’s stock.

Ladder Capital Company Profile

Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE: LADR) is a publicly traded commercial real estate finance company structured as a real estate investment trust. The firm specializes in originating, acquiring and managing a diversified portfolio of commercial mortgage loans, subordinate financings such as mezzanine loans and B-notes, and equity investments. In addition to direct lending activities, Ladder Capital invests in and manages commercial mortgage‐backed securities (CMBS) and commercial real estate collateralized loan obligations (CRE CLOs), providing financing across a range of property types including office, retail, multifamily, industrial and hospitality assets.

Since its inception in 2008, Ladder Capital has developed a platform that supports both balance-sheet lending and structured securitization.