Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Stock

Key Points

• Keefe, Bruyette & Woods has raised the target price for Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) from $10.75 to $11.00, indicating a potential upside of 12.30% from the current stock price.
• The stock recently traded down by 1.5%, reaching $9.80, with a market capitalization of $1.36 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of -70.04.
• CEO Stuart Rothstein sold 52,073 shares of the stock in mid-September, decreasing his ownership by 15.60%, while institutional investors currently own 54.43% of the company's stock.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by equities researchers at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $10.75 to $11.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "outperform" rating on the real estate investment trust's stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' target price would suggest a potential upside of 12.30% from the stock's current price.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Zacks Research cut shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.00 to $10.50 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $10.38.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Down 1.5%

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock traded down $0.15 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $9.80. The company's stock had a trading volume of 439,867 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,082,940. The company has a market capitalization of $1.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -70.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.60. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $10.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $9.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 98.25 and a current ratio of 98.25. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a 12 month low of $7.70 and a 12 month high of $11.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance news, CEO Stuart Rothstein sold 52,073 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.78, for a total value of $561,346.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 281,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,037,599.18. This trade represents a 15.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 1,088.1% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 9,790 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,023,000 after acquiring an additional 8,966 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 10.1% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 43,815 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $419,000 after purchasing an additional 4,023 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 11.1% during the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 67,816 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $649,000 after purchasing an additional 6,787 shares during the period. PFG Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 2.5% during the first quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 50,764 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $486,000 after purchasing an additional 1,235 shares during the period. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 1st quarter worth approximately $184,000. Institutional investors own 54.43% of the company's stock.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Company Profile

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) that originates, acquires, invests in, and manages commercial first mortgage loans, subordinate financings, and other commercial real estate-related debt investments in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe.

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