GSA Capital Partners LLP Takes Position in Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation (NYSE:ACRE)

Key Points

• GSA Capital Partners LLP has acquired 142,716 shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation, valued at approximately $661,000, representing 0.26% ownership of the company as of the latest SEC filing.
• Wall Street analysts have varied outlooks on Ares Commercial Real Estate, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $5.58 after recent price target upgrades.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 13.5%, although it has a payout ratio of -240.00%.

GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation (NYSE:ACRE - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 142,716 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $661,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP owned approximately 0.26% of Ares Commercial Real Estate at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate during the 4th quarter worth $54,000. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 49.0% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 15,045 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $89,000 after buying an additional 4,950 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in Ares Commercial Real Estate in the fourth quarter valued at $123,000. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 13.0% in the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 27,859 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $164,000 after buying an additional 3,215 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.34% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on ACRE shares. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Ares Commercial Real Estate from $5.00 to $4.50 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on Ares Commercial Real Estate from $4.80 to $4.25 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ares Commercial Real Estate has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $5.31.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Stock Performance

ACRE traded up $0.33 during trading on Thursday, reaching $4.47. The company's stock had a trading volume of 514,756 shares, compared to its average volume of 565,877. The company's fifty day moving average price is $4.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $4.72. Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation has a 52-week low of $3.35 and a 52-week high of $7.83. The company has a market capitalization of $245.62 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -13.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.33.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 13.4%. Ares Commercial Real Estate's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -240.00%.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Company Profile

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.