Ladder Capital (NYSE:LADR) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Ladder Capital from “strong sell” to “hold,” while the broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $12.36.
• Ladder Capital reported quarterly EPS of $0.24, matching expectations, and revenue of $57.76 million, exceeding the $56.50 million consensus estimate.
• Institutional investors increased their positions, with hedge funds and other institutions collectively owning 62.25% of the company’s stock.

Ladder Capital (NYSE:LADR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Zacks reports.

LADR has been the topic of several other research reports. Bank of America restated a "neutral" rating and set a $10.25 price objective on shares of Ladder Capital in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Ladder Capital from $11.00 to $10.75 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Ladder Capital in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $12.36.

Ladder Capital Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of LADR stock opened at $8.70 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $9.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.88. Ladder Capital has a twelve month low of $8.48 and a twelve month high of $11.48. The company has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.70, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 44.15, a quick ratio of 44.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81.

Ladder Capital (NYSE:LADR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.24. The company had revenue of $57.76 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $56.50 million. Ladder Capital had a net margin of 12.62% and a return on equity of 5.92%. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.23 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Ladder Capital will post 0.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ladder Capital

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Ladder Capital by 80.5% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,580,178 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $35,623,000 after acquiring an additional 1,596,839 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in Ladder Capital by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,981,326 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $30,331,000 after purchasing an additional 129,665 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its holdings in Ladder Capital by 10.4% in the 2nd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,027,255 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $10,221,000 after purchasing an additional 97,147 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Ladder Capital by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 660,814 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $7,262,000 after purchasing an additional 2,799 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in Ladder Capital by 3.2% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 515,529 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $5,037,000 after purchasing an additional 15,899 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.25% of the company's stock.

Ladder Capital Company Profile

Ladder Capital Corp. is a commercial real estate finance company organized as a real estate investment trust (REIT). The company focuses on originating, acquiring, investing in and managing a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate assets and investments. Its activities are primarily concentrated in the United States.

Ladder Capital's platform includes commercial mortgage loans, commercial mortgage-backed securities and other commercial real estate-related investments. The company also owns and manages commercial real estate properties, including assets that can generate rental income through net lease arrangements.

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