Arbor Realty Trust (NYSE:ABR) Stock Sees Heavy Put Option Buying

Arbor Realty Trust (NYSE:ABR) saw some unusual options trading on Friday. Stock investors acquired 23,912 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 813% compared to the typical daily volume of 2,618 put options.

Arbor Realty Trust Stock Performance

NYSE ABR traded down $0.22 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $2.87. The stock had a trading volume of 3,578,815 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,255,339. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $4.70 and a 200 day moving average of $5.66. The stock has a market cap of $535.80 million, a P/E ratio of 41.03 and a beta of 1.22. Arbor Realty Trust has a 52-week low of $2.78 and a 52-week high of $12.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33, a quick ratio of 478.85 and a current ratio of 478.85.

Arbor Realty Trust (NYSE:ABR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05 by $0.05. Arbor Realty Trust had a net margin of 6.24% and a return on equity of 7.38%. The company had revenue of $117.83 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $107.75 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Arbor Realty Trust will post 0.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Arbor Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 23.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. Arbor Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 971.43%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director William Green bought 25,951 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 31st. The shares were bought at an average price of $5.07 per share, for a total transaction of $131,571.57. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 231,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,173,040.83. This trade represents a 12.63% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 4.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Arbor Realty Trust

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ABR. Bessemer Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Arbor Realty Trust during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Arbor Realty Trust during the second quarter valued at approximately $49,000. North Star Investment Management Corp. purchased a new position in shares of Arbor Realty Trust in the first quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Gables Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Arbor Realty Trust in the second quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Arbor Realty Trust in the second quarter worth approximately $60,000. 57.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Arbor Realty Trust from $5.50 to $5.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Arbor Realty Trust from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Citizens Jmp reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Arbor Realty Trust in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $3.50 price target on shares of Arbor Realty Trust in a report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Arbor Realty Trust from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $7.00 to $5.50 in a report on Friday, July 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $5.62.

About Arbor Realty Trust

Arbor Realty Trust, Inc is a real estate investment trust that provides financing for multifamily and other commercial real estate properties. The company originates, acquires, and invests in a range of structured finance products, including bridge loans, mezzanine loans, preferred equity investments, and other real estate-related debt investments.

Through its lending platforms and subsidiaries, Arbor Realty Trust also provides agency lending services for multifamily properties. These activities include originating and servicing loans through programs associated with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the U.S.