Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation (NYSE:ACRE) Given Consensus Rating of "Reduce" by Analysts

Shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation (NYSE:ACRE - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Reduce" from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $5.50.

A number of research firms have issued reports on ACRE. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Ares Commercial Real Estate from $5.50 to $4.50 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Ares Commercial Real Estate from $3.75 to $5.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 6.1% in the first quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 1,094,490 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $5,067,000 after purchasing an additional 62,900 shares during the last quarter. Cura Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 32.1% during the first quarter. Cura Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 963,485 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $4,461,000 after buying an additional 234,258 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 32.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 605,491 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $3,566,000 after buying an additional 147,990 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 31.5% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 545,967 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $3,216,000 after buying an additional 130,635 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S raised its stake in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 15.3% during the first quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 419,940 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,944,000 after buying an additional 55,667 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.34% of the company's stock.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Stock Down 5.1%

Shares of NYSE:ACRE traded down $0.25 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $4.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 493,616 shares, compared to its average volume of 554,272. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $4.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $4.92. Ares Commercial Real Estate has a 1 year low of $3.35 and a 1 year high of $7.99. The firm has a market cap of $258.00 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -18.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 1.31.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. Ares Commercial Real Estate's dividend payout ratio is currently -240.00%.

About Ares Commercial Real Estate

Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation, a specialty finance company, originates and invests in commercial real estate (CRE) loans and related investments in the United States. It provides a range of financing solutions for the owners, operators, and sponsors of CRE properties. The company originates senior mortgage loans, subordinate debt and preferred equity products, mezzanine loans, and other CRE investments, including commercial mortgage-backed securities.