Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Short Interest Up 26.7% in March

Key Points

• Short interest up 26.7% in March to 5,099,550 shares, representing about 3.7% of shares short and a short-interest ratio of 3.6 days based on average daily volume.
• ARI announced a $0.25 quarterly dividend (annualized $1.00) with a 9.4% yield
• Shares traded around $10.63 (12‑month range $7.70–$11.20); analysts hold a consensus "Hold" rating with an average target of $11.00.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 5,099,550 shares, an increase of 26.7% from the February 26th total of 4,025,818 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,400,972 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.6 days. Currently, 3.7% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Performance

Shares of ARI traded up $0.20 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $10.63. 624,725 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,372,806. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a twelve month low of $7.70 and a twelve month high of $11.20. The company has a quick ratio of 96.78, a current ratio of 96.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market cap of $1.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.29 and a beta of 1.52. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $10.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $10.23.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.26. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a net margin of 46.66% and a return on equity of 7.94%. The business had revenue of $73.25 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $46.97 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance will post 0.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.4%. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 125.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on ARI. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.75 to $11.50 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, January 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $11.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Purpose Unlimited Inc. bought a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 4th quarter worth $2,393,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 76.1% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 23,598 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $228,000 after acquiring an additional 10,197 shares during the period. Alpine Global Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 4th quarter valued at $286,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 13.6% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,244,477 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $12,047,000 after purchasing an additional 149,220 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 46,312 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $448,000 after purchasing an additional 7,091 shares during the period. 54.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Company Profile

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc NYSE: ARI is a real estate finance company structured as a real estate investment trust (REIT). The company focuses on originating, acquiring and managing a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate debt and preferred equity investments. As an externally managed vehicle, ARI leverages the expertise and resources of an affiliate of Apollo Global Management, a leading global alternative investment manager.

ARI's investment strategy is centered on providing first mortgage loans, mezzanine debt financing, bridge loans and preferred equity across a broad range of property types, including office, retail, industrial and multifamily assets.

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