Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Receives $11.12 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $11.1250.

ARI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $11.50 price objective on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, BTIG Research downgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Carmencita N.M. Whonder sold 4,574 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.93, for a total transaction of $49,993.82. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 24,799 shares in the company, valued at $271,053.07. The trade was a 15.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.52% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ARI. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 60.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,832 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 388.7% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 3,255 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 2,589 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 61.7% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 4,656 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 1,777 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the third quarter worth approximately $50,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 60.2% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 5,037 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 1,892 shares during the period. 54.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Performance

Shares of ARI stock opened at $10.38 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 81.80 and a current ratio of 81.81. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a 52 week low of $9.49 and a 52 week high of $11.24. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $10.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.58. The company has a market capitalization of $1.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.82 and a beta of 1.35.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $58.63 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.85 million. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a return on equity of 7.87% and a net margin of 48.01%. On average, analysts expect that Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance will post 0.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $3.75 per share. This is a positive change from Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $15.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 144.4%. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s dividend payout ratio is 123.46%.

About Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc (NYSE: ARI) is a real estate finance company structured as a real estate investment trust (REIT). The company focuses on originating, acquiring and managing a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate debt and preferred equity investments. As an externally managed vehicle, ARI leverages the expertise and resources of an affiliate of Apollo Global Management, a leading global alternative investment manager.

ARI’s investment strategy is centered on providing first mortgage loans, mezzanine debt financing, bridge loans and preferred equity across a broad range of property types, including office, retail, industrial and multifamily assets.