Nuveen LLC Makes New $22.26 Million Investment in Ladder Capital Corp $LADR

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC has acquired a new stake in Ladder Capital Corp, purchasing 1,951,033 shares valued at approximately $22.26 million, representing about 1.53% of the company.
• Ladder Capital announced a quarterly dividend of $0.23 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend of $0.92 and a yield of 8.2%.
• Despite reporting earnings per share of $0.23 for the most recent quarter, which surpassed estimates, Ladder Capital's revenue fell short of expectations at $56.26 million.

Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 1,951,033 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $22,261,000. Nuveen LLC owned 1.53% of Ladder Capital at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of LADR. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of Ladder Capital by 35.1% in the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,777,974 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $19,896,000 after acquiring an additional 461,739 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Ladder Capital by 18.7% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 367,430 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $4,112,000 after acquiring an additional 57,766 shares during the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its stake in shares of Ladder Capital by 37.8% in the first quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 307,036 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $3,503,000 after acquiring an additional 84,286 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ladder Capital by 4.8% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 49,336 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $563,000 after acquiring an additional 2,251 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Ladder Capital by 46.1% in the first quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 283,407 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $3,234,000 after acquiring an additional 89,413 shares during the last quarter. 62.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ladder Capital Trading Up 3.2%

Shares of LADR stock traded up $0.3580 on Friday, reaching $11.5180. 731,118 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 616,870. The stock has a market cap of $1.47 billion, a PE ratio of 16.45, a P/E/G ratio of 9.81 and a beta of 1.03. Ladder Capital Corp has a one year low of $9.68 and a one year high of $12.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 31.28 and a quick ratio of 31.28. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $11.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $10.95.

Ladder Capital (NYSE:LADR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $56.26 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.57 million. Ladder Capital had a return on equity of 7.07% and a net margin of 20.05%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.31 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Ladder Capital Corp will post 1.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ladder Capital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. Ladder Capital's payout ratio is currently 131.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ladder Capital news, Director Mark David Alexander sold 26,795 shares of Ladder Capital stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.86, for a total transaction of $290,993.70. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 29,229 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $317,426.94. The trade was a 47.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 91,382 shares of company stock worth $1,003,501. 12.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on LADR shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Ladder Capital from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Ladder Capital from $11.75 to $12.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have assigned a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $12.75.

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.