Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Sets New 52-Week High - Time to Buy?

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.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ARI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group raised their price objective 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 stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $10.31.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Up 0.4%

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $10.07 and a 200 day moving average of $9.72. The firm has a market cap of $1.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -78.82, a PEG ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a quick ratio of 98.25, a current ratio of 98.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Stuart Rothstein sold 52,074 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 333,854 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,281,784.82. This trade represents a 13.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 1,256 shares during the period. CWM LLC grew its stake in 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 valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 1,087 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 55.6% in 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 stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the second quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 94.1% in the first quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 5,909 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 2,864 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.43% of the company's stock.

About Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

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.