Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Upgraded to Buy at BTIG Research

BTIG Research upgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI - Free Report) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has $11.00 price objective on the real estate investment trust's stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on ARI. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $10.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $9.50 to $8.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $9.75.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Performance

ARI traded up $0.11 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $9.32. 529,887 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,119,002. The company has a quick ratio of 51.19, a current ratio of 51.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $1.29 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.81 and a beta of 1.41. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a one year low of $7.70 and a one year high of $11.20. The stock's fifty day moving average is $9.36 and its 200 day moving average is $9.16.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.07. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a negative net margin of 39.40% and a positive return on equity of 9.37%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance will post 0.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.74%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance's payout ratio is -3,333.33%.

Insider Transactions at Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

In related news, Director Carmencita N.M. Whonder sold 11,000 shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.96, for a total value of $109,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $95,855.04. This trade represents a 53.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Stuart Rothstein sold 52,074 shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.99, for a total transaction of $520,219.26. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 385,928 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,855,420.72. This trade represents a 11.89 % 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 327.1% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,045 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 2,332 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew 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 valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 1,256 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 783.8% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 4,366 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 3,872 shares during the period. CF Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 4th quarter valued at $52,000. Finally, Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the fourth quarter worth about $67,000. 54.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.