Apple Hospitality REIT (NYSE:APLE) Hits New 12-Month High After Dividend Announcement

Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE:APLE)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday following a dividend announcement from the company. The stock traded as high as $14.22 and last traded at $14.2550, with a volume of 397584 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $13.98.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.7%. Apple Hospitality REIT’s payout ratio is currently 131.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays decreased their target price on Apple Hospitality REIT from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Apple Hospitality REIT in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Apple Hospitality REIT from $13.00 to $12.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on shares of Apple Hospitality REIT from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH began coverage on shares of Apple Hospitality REIT in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $13.00 price target on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Apple Hospitality REIT has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $12.93.

Apple Hospitality REIT Stock Up 2.0%

The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $12.61 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.22. The firm has a market cap of $3.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.51 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

Apple Hospitality REIT (NYSE:APLE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.01. Apple Hospitality REIT had a return on equity of 5.43% and a net margin of 12.08%.The firm had revenue of $337.74 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $327.81 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple Hospitality REIT

In related news, Chairman Glade M. Knight purchased 5,000 shares of Apple Hospitality REIT stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $13.96 per share, for a total transaction of $69,800.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chairman directly owned 747,191 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,430,786.36. The trade was a 0.67% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 6.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apple Hospitality REIT

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in Apple Hospitality REIT by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 170,862 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,205,000 after purchasing an additional 4,712 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT by 114.3% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 136,046 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,732,000 after purchasing an additional 72,553 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT by 5.2% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 137,557 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,776,000 after buying an additional 6,788 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Apple Hospitality REIT by 295.9% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,427 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 1,814 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in Apple Hospitality REIT by 10,235.7% in the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 21,705 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $280,000 after buying an additional 21,495 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.66% of the company’s stock.

About Apple Hospitality REIT

Apple Hospitality REIT (NYSE: APLE) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust that focuses on acquiring, owning and operating high-quality, upscale, select-service hotels. The company’s portfolio primarily consists of properties operated under premium franchise agreements with leading lodging brands such as Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt. Apple Hospitality REIT is self-managed and internally advised, overseeing property management, revenue optimization and asset-level operations through its in-house team of hospitality professionals.

The company’s holdings encompass over 200 hotels featuring more than 30,000 guest rooms across a diverse array of markets in the United States.