Investors Buy High Volume of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Put Options (NYSE:ARI)

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) saw unusually large options trading on Monday. Stock investors bought 5,187 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 1,417% compared to the average daily volume of 342 put options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Bank of America assumed coverage on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $11.50 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, BTIG Research downgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.33.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Performance

Shares of ARI opened at $6.81 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $7.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.79. The company has a market capitalization of $875.36 million, a P/E ratio of 8.51 and a beta of 1.36. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a fifty-two week low of $6.43 and a fifty-two week high of $11.24.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The real estate investment trust reported ($2.62) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a net margin of 55.49% and a return on equity of 7.39%. The company had revenue of $44.38 million during the quarter. 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 business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a $3.75 dividend. This is an increase from Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $15.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 220.3%. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s payout ratio is presently 125.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ARI. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings 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 valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 2,589 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the second quarter worth $47,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 60.2% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 5,037 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 1,892 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in 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 valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 1,777 shares during the period. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the third quarter valued at $50,000. 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.