Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI) Given Consensus Rating of "Reduce" by Brokerages

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Reduce" from the five research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and four have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $10.38.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. TheStreet upgraded Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a "d+" rating to a "c-" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. Bank of America lowered Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $10.50 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, March 4th.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Up 1.1 %

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $11.19. 559,917 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 795,916. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a one year low of $8.58 and a one year high of $12.74. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $11.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.95. The company has a current ratio of 67.74, a quick ratio of 67.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company has a market cap of $1.59 billion, a PE ratio of 37.30 and a beta of 1.67.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 28th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.51%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 466.67%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance news, CEO Stuart Rothstein sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.45, for a total transaction of $458,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 541,675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,202,178.75. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.61% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MAS Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 17.1% during the first quarter. MAS Advisors LLC now owns 110,840 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,535,000 after purchasing an additional 16,168 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,378,310 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $19,200,000 after acquiring an additional 13,735 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 28.0% during the 1st quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 22,392 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $312,000 after acquiring an additional 4,899 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 57.3% in the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 73,379 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,022,000 after acquiring an additional 26,742 shares during the period. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 14.6% during the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 113,890 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,586,000 after purchasing an additional 14,502 shares during the last quarter. 54.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.