Stifel Financial Corp Buys 35,021 Shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI)

Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI - Free Report) by 250.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 49,023 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 35,021 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp's holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance were worth $425,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ARI. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 12.3% during the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 84,116 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $728,000 after acquiring an additional 9,181 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S increased its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 21.4% during the 4th quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 272,585 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,361,000 after purchasing an additional 48,092 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 221.4% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 189,168 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,638,000 after acquiring an additional 130,308 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the fourth quarter valued at about $956,000. Finally, Guggenheim Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 31.3% in the fourth quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 42,542 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $368,000 after acquiring an additional 10,145 shares during the last quarter. 54.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on ARI. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.00 to $10.50 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, BTIG Research raised shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $11.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $9.88.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Price Performance

Shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $9.94. 870,405 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,113,915. The stock has a market cap of $1.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.46 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 51.19 and a current ratio of 51.19. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $9.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $9.24. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. has a 12 month low of $7.70 and a 12 month high of $11.20.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -3,333.33%.

Insider Activity at Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

In other news, Director Mark C. Biderman sold 10,000 shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.48, for a total value of $94,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 60,787 shares in the company, valued at $576,260.76. The trade was a 14.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Carmencita N.M. Whonder sold 11,000 shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.96, for a total transaction of $109,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 9,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at $95,855.04. This represents a 53.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 73,074 shares of company stock valued at $724,579. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Company Profile

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) that originates, acquires, invests in, and manages commercial first mortgage loans, subordinate financings, and other commercial real estate-related debt investments in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe.