Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Ladder Capital has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy”, based on coverage from six analysts; the average 12-month price target is $12.75.
• The company recently reported Q1 EPS of $0.22, matching expectations, though revenue of $51.88 million came in below analyst estimates.
• Ladder Capital declared a quarterly dividend of $0.23 per share, equal to an annualized yield of 9.3%, while an insider recently sold shares and institutions hold 62.25% of the stock.

Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the six analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $12.75.

Several brokerages have commented on LADR. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ladder Capital from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of Ladder Capital from $11.50 to $11.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Ladder Capital from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th.

Ladder Capital Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:LADR opened at $9.85 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 58.90, a current ratio of 58.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.79. Ladder Capital has a 52-week low of $9.61 and a 52-week high of $11.92. The stock has a market cap of $1.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.38, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.95. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $10.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $10.34.

Ladder Capital (NYSE:LADR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22. Ladder Capital had a return on equity of 5.73% and a net margin of 13.82%.The firm had revenue of $51.88 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $57.03 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.20 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Ladder Capital will post 0.75 EPS for the current year.

Ladder Capital Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Ladder Capital's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 209.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ladder Capital

In other Ladder Capital news, insider Robert Perelman sold 17,505 shares of Ladder Capital stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.25, for a total transaction of $179,426.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 428,684 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,394,011. This trade represents a 3.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 12.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Ladder Capital

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Ladder Capital by 63.8% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,390 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 931 shares in the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ladder Capital by 500.0% in the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,000 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 2,500 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co purchased a new stake in Ladder Capital during the first quarter worth $33,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Ladder Capital by 48,988.9% during the first quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 4,418 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 4,409 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV acquired a new stake in Ladder Capital during the first quarter valued at $51,000. 62.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ladder Capital

Ladder Capital Corp NYSE: LADR is a publicly traded commercial real estate finance company structured as a real estate investment trust. The firm specializes in originating, acquiring and managing a diversified portfolio of commercial mortgage loans, subordinate financings such as mezzanine loans and B-notes, and equity investments. In addition to direct lending activities, Ladder Capital invests in and manages commercial mortgage‐backed securities (CMBS) and commercial real estate collateralized loan obligations (CRE CLOs), providing financing across a range of property types including office, retail, multifamily, industrial and hospitality assets.

Since its inception in 2008, Ladder Capital has developed a platform that supports both balance-sheet lending and structured securitization.

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