FJ Capital Management LLC Takes Position in Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR)

FJ Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 117,585 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $1,316,000. FJ Capital Management LLC owned about 0.09% of Ladder Capital at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of LADR. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 3,240 shares during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ladder Capital during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $84,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ladder Capital during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $112,000. Cibc World Markets Corp bought a new stake in shares of Ladder Capital in the 4th quarter worth about $119,000. Finally, Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. bought a new position in shares of Ladder Capital during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $129,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.25% of the company's stock.

Ladder Capital Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of LADR traded down $0.13 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $10.64. The stock had a trading volume of 180,582 shares, compared to its average volume of 641,033. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $10.81 and a 200 day moving average of $11.25. The company has a market cap of $1.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.37 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 38.96, a current ratio of 38.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $51.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $65.15 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.33 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ladder Capital Corp will post 1.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ladder Capital Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.65%. Ladder Capital's payout ratio is 112.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on LADR. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of Ladder Capital from $12.75 to $12.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. StockNews.com cut Ladder Capital from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $13.17.

Ladder Capital Company 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.