Teacher Retirement System of Texas Sells 32,830 Shares of Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas decreased its position in Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR - Free Report) by 37.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 54,833 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 32,830 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas' holdings in Ladder Capital were worth $626,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in LADR. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Ladder Capital by 4.8% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 49,336 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $563,000 after purchasing an additional 2,251 shares during the period. KBC Group NV acquired a new position in shares of Ladder Capital during the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ladder Capital by 816.1% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,637 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 3,240 shares during the last quarter. Capital Square LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ladder Capital by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital Square LLC now owns 79,713 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $882,000 after buying an additional 3,251 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Ladder Capital during the first quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 62.25% of the company's stock.

Ladder Capital Stock Up 0.7%

LADR stock traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $11.15. The company had a trading volume of 1,028,223 shares, compared to its average volume of 677,540. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 48.72 and a quick ratio of 48.71. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $10.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $10.96. The company has a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.60, a PEG ratio of 3.35 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.

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

Ladder Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.25%. Ladder Capital's dividend payout ratio is currently 112.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Ladder Capital from $11.50 to $11.75 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered Ladder Capital from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ladder Capital presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $13.15.

About Ladder Capital

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.