Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) was the target of a large drop in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 4,829,386 shares, a drop of 32.4% from the June 30th total of 7,143,753 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 4,832,427 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.0 days. Approximately 3.7% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on ARI. Zacks Research raised shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $11.50 price target on the stock. BTIG Research cut shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $11.33.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of NYSE:ARI opened at $6.64 on Friday. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a 1-year low of $6.43 and a 1-year high of $11.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 81.81 and a quick ratio of 81.80. The stock has a market cap of $868.90 million, a P/E ratio of 8.20 and a beta of 1.35. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $9.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $10.34.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $3.75 per share. This is an increase from Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $15.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 225.7%. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s dividend payout ratio is 123.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

In related news, Director Carmencita N.M. Whonder sold 4,574 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.93, for a total transaction of $49,993.82. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 24,799 shares in the company, valued at $271,053.07. The trade was a 15.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.52% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ARI. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 60.4% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,832 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,066 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 18.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 7,462 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 1,183 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 8.9% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 19,328 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $187,000 after purchasing an additional 1,582 shares during the period. Samalin Investment Counsel LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Samalin Investment Counsel LLC now owns 83,682 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $810,000 after purchasing an additional 1,751 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 61.7% during the first 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 during the last quarter. 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 (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.