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

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from “strong sell” to “hold,” while other analysts issued mixed or downgraded ratings. The overall analyst consensus remains “Hold,” with a $11.33 price target.
• ARI shares opened at $6.50, near their 52-week low of $6.43 and well below the 52-week high of $11.24. The company reported quarterly revenue of $44.38 million and a loss of $2.62 per share.
• Institutional investors own 54.43% of ARI, with BlackRock establishing a new position valued at approximately $127.4 million. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance is a REIT focused on commercial real estate debt investments.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on ARI. Wall Street Zen lowered 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 cut 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $11.33.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Price Performance

NYSE:ARI opened at $6.50 on Tuesday. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a 1-year low of $6.43 and a 1-year high of $11.24. The stock has a market cap of $836.15 million, a P/E ratio of 8.13 and a beta of 1.36. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $7.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $9.48.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 11th. The real estate investment trust reported ($2.62) earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $44.38 million during the quarter. As a group, equities analysts expect that Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance will post -0.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ARI. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 2nd quarter valued at $127,411,000. Empyrean Capital Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the first quarter valued at $9,332,000. Greenland Capital Management LP bought a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the second quarter valued at about $9,238,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 23.0% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 782,514 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $8,263,000 after buying an additional 146,131 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the second quarter valued at about $6,767,000. Institutional investors own 54.43% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.