Principal Financial Group Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR)

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR - Free Report) by 6.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,756,946 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 119,200 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 1.38% of Ladder Capital worth $20,047,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of LADR. KBC Group NV bought a new stake in shares of Ladder Capital in the first quarter worth $31,000. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Ladder Capital during the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Ladder Capital by 816.1% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,637 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 3,240 shares during the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. bought a new position in Ladder Capital during the 4th quarter worth $84,000. Finally, Cibc World Markets Corp acquired a new stake in Ladder Capital in the 4th quarter worth about $119,000. 62.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LADR has been the subject of a number of research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Ladder Capital from $11.50 to $11.75 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ladder Capital from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $13.15.

Ladder Capital Price Performance

NYSE LADR traded up $0.09 on Thursday, hitting $11.18. The stock had a trading volume of 623,874 shares, compared to its average volume of 672,571. The company has a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.00. Ladder Capital Corp has a 52-week low of $9.68 and a 52-week high of $12.48. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $10.62 and a 200-day moving average of $10.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 48.71 and a current ratio of 48.72.

Ladder Capital (NYSE:LADR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $51.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $65.15 million. Ladder Capital had a return on equity of 7.82% and a net margin of 21.81%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.33 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Ladder Capital Corp will post 1.03 EPS for the current year.

Ladder Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.23%. Ladder Capital's payout ratio is 112.20%.

Ladder Capital Profile

Ladder Capital Corp operates as an internally-managed real estate investment trust in the United States. It operates through three segments: Loans, Securities, and Real Estate. The Loans segment originates conduit first mortgage loans that are secured by cash-flowing commercial real estate; and originates and invests in balance sheet first mortgage loans secured by commercial real estate properties that are undergoing transition, including lease-up, sell-out, and renovation or repositioning.