Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Hits New 1-Year High - What's Next?

Key Points

• Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE: ARI) reached a new 52-week high price of $10.71 on Thursday, with its last recorded price at $10.69.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for ARI, with a consensus of "Hold" and target prices ranging from $10.31 to $10.75.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25, resulting in an annualized yield of 9.4% despite a negative payout ratio.

Shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $10.71 and last traded at $10.69, with a volume of 676904 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $10.50.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on ARI. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.00 to $10.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.50 to $10.75 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $10.31.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Down 0.2%

The company's fifty day simple moving average is $10.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $9.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.52 billion, a P/E ratio of -78.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a current ratio of 98.25, a quick ratio of 98.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance's dividend payout ratio is -714.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Stuart Rothstein sold 52,074 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.83, for a total transaction of $511,887.42. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 333,854 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,281,784.82. This trade represents a 13.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 57.9% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,425 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,256 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 39.2% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,858 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 1,087 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 55.6% during the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,059 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,451 shares during the period. McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 94.1% during the 1st quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 5,909 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 2,864 shares in the last quarter. 54.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.