Brokerages Set Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Price Target at $10.88

Shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the seven research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $10.8750.

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.50 to $11.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.75 to $11.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 16th.

Insider Activity at Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

In other news, CEO Stuart Rothstein sold 52,072 shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.16, for a total value of $529,051.52. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 229,709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,333,843.44. This trade represents a 18.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ARI. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 23.1% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 211,459 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,074,000 after buying an additional 39,651 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,066 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 111.8% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 689,903 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $6,989,000 after purchasing an additional 364,098 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management grew its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 59,535 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $603,000 after purchasing an additional 4,761 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $151,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.43% of the company’s stock.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Performance

ARI stock opened at $9.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 90.32 and a current ratio of 90.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.18, a PEG ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 1.54. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a 1 year low of $7.70 and a 1 year high of $11.11. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $9.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.07.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $63.88 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $49.15 million. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a return on equity of 8.34% and a net margin of 51.40%. On average, research analysts predict that Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance will post 0.63 EPS for the current year.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.1%. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 112.36%.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Company Profile

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.