Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC Boosts Stock Position in Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR)

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its stake in Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR - Free Report) by 7.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 637,374 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 41,911 shares during the quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC owned 0.50% of Ladder Capital worth $7,132,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Access Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ladder Capital by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Access Investment Management LLC now owns 284,064 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $3,179,000 after purchasing an additional 1,145 shares during the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Ladder Capital by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,011 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $191,000 after purchasing an additional 2,011 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ladder Capital by 816.1% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,637 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 3,240 shares during the period. Capital Square LLC lifted its position in shares of Ladder Capital by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Capital Square LLC now owns 79,713 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $882,000 after purchasing an additional 3,251 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in Ladder Capital by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 37,940 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $425,000 after purchasing an additional 3,510 shares during the last quarter. 62.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LADR has been the topic of a number of research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Ladder Capital from $12.75 to $12.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. B. Riley raised shares of Ladder Capital to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Ladder Capital from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ladder Capital has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $13.17.

Ladder Capital Trading Up 0.8 %

LADR stock traded up $0.09 on Friday, reaching $10.58. The company's stock had a trading volume of 177,125 shares, compared to its average volume of 635,938. Ladder Capital Corp has a 12-month low of $9.68 and a 12-month high of $12.48. The firm has a market cap of $1.34 billion, a PE ratio of 12.28 and a beta of 1.44. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $10.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $11.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 38.96 and a current ratio of 38.96.

Ladder Capital (NYSE:LADR - Get Free Report) last issued its 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). The firm had revenue of $51.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $65.15 million. Ladder Capital had a return on equity of 8.77% and a net margin of 21.36%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.33 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Ladder Capital Corp will post 1.03 EPS for the current year.

Ladder Capital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.70%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. Ladder Capital's dividend payout ratio is currently 112.20%.

Ladder Capital 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.