Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Upgraded to Hold at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday,Zacks reports.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on ARI. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Finally, BTIG Research lowered Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.33.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Performance

ARI opened at $6.50 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $836.15 million, a PE ratio of 8.13 and a beta of 1.36. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $7.15 and its 200-day moving average is $9.48. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a one year low of $6.43 and a one year high of $11.24.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 11th. The real estate investment trust reported ($2.62) earnings per share for the quarter. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a net margin of 55.49% and a return on equity of 7.39%. The firm had revenue of $44.38 million for the quarter. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance will post -0.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $3.75 per share. This represents a $15.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 230.6%. This is a boost from Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s payout ratio is 125.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 2,589 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the second quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 61.7% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 4,656 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 1,777 shares during the period. Finally, Markowski Investments bought a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the second quarter valued at approximately $55,000. 54.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc (NYSE: ARI) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that originates, acquires and manages commercial real estate debt investments. The company primarily seeks income from loans and other financing arrangements secured by commercial properties.

Its investment activities may include senior mortgage loans, subordinate and mezzanine financing, preferred equity investments, commercial mortgage-backed securities and other commercial real estate-related assets.