Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Downgraded to "Hold" Rating by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has been downgraded from a "strong-buy" to a "hold" rating by Zacks Research, reflecting a shift in analyst sentiment.
• Despite the downgrade, UBS Group raised its target price on the stock from $10.00 to $10.50, indicating a neutral outlook as other analysts have also assigned mixed ratings.
• CEO Stuart Rothstein sold over 52,000 shares of the company, representing a 15.60% decrease in his holdings, which may signal insider concerns about the company's future performance.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on ARI. UBS Group lifted their target price on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.00 to $10.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.50 to $10.75 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $10.31.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Price Performance

Shares of ARI stock opened at $10.52 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $10.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.76. The company has a market capitalization of $1.46 billion, a PE ratio of -75.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.57. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a twelve month low of $7.70 and a twelve month high of $11.11. The company has a current ratio of 98.25, a quick ratio of 98.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance news, CEO Stuart Rothstein sold 52,073 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.78, for a total value of $561,346.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 281,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,037,599.18. This represents a 15.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 5.3% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 66,084 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $640,000 after acquiring an additional 3,325 shares during the period. State of Wyoming lifted its holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 56.3% in the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 40,972 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 14,757 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 7.4% in the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 435,113 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $4,212,000 after buying an additional 29,905 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 310.3% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 14,411 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $139,000 after buying an additional 10,899 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,368,000. 54.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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