3,658,622 Shares in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI) Acquired by Nomura Holdings Inc.

Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 3,658,622 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $31,684,000. Nomura Holdings Inc. owned approximately 2.63% of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ARI. Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 26.5% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 666,730 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $5,774,000 after purchasing an additional 139,643 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 265.3% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 232,627 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,015,000 after buying an additional 168,948 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 51.0% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 118,656 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,028,000 after buying an additional 40,088 shares in the last quarter. Corton Capital Inc. bought a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the fourth quarter valued at about $153,000. Finally, CF Capital LLC acquired a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the fourth quarter worth about $52,000. 54.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock traded down $0.07 during trading on Monday, hitting $9.87. The stock had a trading volume of 326,308 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,110,840. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. has a 1 year low of $7.70 and a 1 year high of $11.20. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $9.24. The company has a quick ratio of 51.19, a current ratio of 51.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $1.37 billion, a PE ratio of -10.38 and a beta of 1.49.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.13%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance's payout ratio is -3,333.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

In related news, Director Carmencita N.M. Whonder sold 11,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.96, for a total transaction of $109,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 9,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $95,855.04. This trade represents a 53.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Stuart Rothstein sold 52,074 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.99, for a total transaction of $520,219.26. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 385,928 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,855,420.72. The trade was a 11.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 73,074 shares of company stock valued at $724,579 in the last three months. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ARI. BTIG Research raised shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $11.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.00 to $10.50 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $9.88.

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.