Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Acquires Shares of 279,673 Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE:APLE)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE:APLE - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 279,673 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $4,293,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.12% of Apple Hospitality REIT at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APLE. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 23,850 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $366,000 after acquiring an additional 755 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its stake in Apple Hospitality REIT by 20.1% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 6,740 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 1,128 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC lifted its position in Apple Hospitality REIT by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 14,502 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $223,000 after purchasing an additional 1,137 shares during the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH lifted its position in Apple Hospitality REIT by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 40,163 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $617,000 after purchasing an additional 1,218 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. grew its stake in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. now owns 27,079 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $416,000 after buying an additional 1,272 shares in the last quarter. 89.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Apple Hospitality REIT Stock Performance

APLE traded down $0.02 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $11.64. 2,488,399 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,284,397. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $11.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $13.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.69 and a beta of 1.07. Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. has a 1-year low of $10.44 and a 1-year high of $16.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03.

Apple Hospitality REIT (NYSE:APLE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $327.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $332.86 million. Apple Hospitality REIT had a return on equity of 6.17% and a net margin of 14.53%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Hospitality REIT Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a may 25 dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 8.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Apple Hospitality REIT's payout ratio is currently 121.52%.

Insider Transactions at Apple Hospitality REIT

In related news, Chairman Glade M. Knight acquired 10,000 shares of Apple Hospitality REIT stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $11.43 per share, for a total transaction of $114,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 700,344 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,004,931.92. The trade was a 1.45% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders have bought a total of 12,000 shares of company stock valued at $137,120 in the last ninety days. 7.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Apple Hospitality REIT from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $16.80.

About Apple Hospitality REIT

Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc NYSE: APLE is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns one of the largest and most diverse portfolios of upscale, rooms-focused hotels in the United States. Apple Hospitality's portfolio consists of 223 hotels with more than 29,400 guest rooms located in 87 markets throughout 37 states as well as one property leased to third parties.