Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the five analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $10.13.

A number of research firms recently commented on ARI. BTIG Research raised Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $11.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $10.00 price objective (up previously from $9.00) on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen cut Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a report on Tuesday, April 29th.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Performance

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $9.85. 3,468,689 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,146,941. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $9.36. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a fifty-two week low of $7.70 and a fifty-two week high of $11.20. The stock has a market cap of $1.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -328.43, a P/E/G ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 74.89 and a quick ratio of 74.89.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.15%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance's payout ratio is currently -3,333.33%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Mark C. Biderman sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.48, for a total value of $94,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 60,787 shares of the company's stock, valued at $576,260.76. This represents a 14.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Stuart Rothstein sold 52,074 shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock in a transaction on Monday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.83, for a total value of $511,887.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 333,854 shares in the company, valued at $3,281,784.82. This represents a 13.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ARI. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 327.1% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,045 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 2,332 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 57.9% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,425 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 1,256 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 39.2% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,858 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 1,087 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 783.8% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 4,366 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 3,872 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CF Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 4th quarter worth approximately $52,000. 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.