Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Saturday morning.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the company. Zacks Research lowered Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. BTIG Research lowered Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Bank of America began coverage on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $11.50 target price on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. 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, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.33.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Trading Up 0.4%

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock opened at $6.86 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $879.52 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.57 and a beta of 1.36. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $8.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.09. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a 1-year low of $6.43 and a 1-year high of $11.24.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The real estate investment trust reported ($2.62) EPS for the quarter. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a return on equity of 7.39% and a net margin of 55.49%.The business had revenue of $44.38 million for the quarter. On average, research analysts forecast that Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance will post -0.18 EPS for the current year.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a dividend of $3.75 per share. This represents a $15.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 218.7%. This is an increase from Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 125.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ARI. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 1st quarter valued at $3,459,000. Carmel Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 40.0% in the 4th quarter. Carmel Capital Partners LLC now owns 314,501 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,044,000 after buying an additional 89,887 shares during the last quarter. Readystate Asset Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the 1st quarter worth about $4,760,000. NewGen Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the first quarter valued at about $3,228,000. Finally, Family Manage LLC bought a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the first quarter valued at about $1,682,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 54.43% of the company’s stock.

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.