Squarepoint Ops LLC Buys 37,675 Shares of Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR)

Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its stake in Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR - Free Report) by 145.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 63,528 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 37,675 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC's holdings in Ladder Capital were worth $711,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its stake in shares of Ladder Capital by 25.5% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 243,250 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,722,000 after buying an additional 49,500 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its stake in Ladder Capital by 36.3% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 298,131 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $3,336,000 after buying an additional 79,399 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Ladder Capital by 49.0% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 31,971 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $358,000 after acquiring an additional 10,518 shares during the period. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in Ladder Capital during the 4th quarter worth $1,979,000. Finally, FJ Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Ladder Capital during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,316,000. Institutional investors own 62.25% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Ladder Capital from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Ladder Capital from $12.75 to $12.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ladder Capital has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $13.17.

Ladder Capital Stock Performance

NYSE LADR traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $10.62. The company had a trading volume of 644,556 shares, compared to its average volume of 654,649. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $10.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $11.12. Ladder Capital Corp has a fifty-two week low of $9.68 and a fifty-two week high of $12.48. The company has a quick ratio of 38.96, a current ratio of 38.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. The stock has a market cap of $1.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.35 and a beta of 1.01.

Ladder Capital (NYSE:LADR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.22 by ($0.02). Ladder Capital had a net margin of 21.36% and a return on equity of 8.77%. The company had revenue of $51.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $65.15 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.33 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Ladder Capital Corp will post 1.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ladder Capital Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.66%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. Ladder Capital's payout ratio is presently 112.20%.

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.