Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI) Shares Sold by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lessened its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI - Free Report) by 67.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,721 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 36,984 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance were worth $153,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in 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 valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 2,332 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its stake in 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 valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 3,872 shares in the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $67,000. Xponance Inc. acquired a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $87,000. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $89,000. Institutional investors own 54.43% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Mark C. Biderman sold 10,000 shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.48, for a total value of $94,800.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 60,787 shares in the company, valued at $576,260.76. This trade represents a 14.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Carmencita N.M. Whonder sold 11,000 shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.96, for a total transaction of $109,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 9,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $95,855.04. This trade represents a 53.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 73,074 shares of company stock valued at $724,579. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ARI. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. BTIG Research upgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $11.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. UBS Group reiterated 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.00 to $10.50 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $10.13.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ARI traded down $0.08 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $9.75. The company's stock had a trading volume of 906,739 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,115,975. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.35 billion, a PE ratio of -10.26 and a beta of 1.49. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. has a twelve month low of $7.70 and a twelve month high of $11.20. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $9.21 and a 200 day moving average of $9.29. The company has a quick ratio of 51.19, a current ratio of 51.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.26%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -3,333.33%.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Company Profile

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.