Short Interest in Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR) Decreases By 17.4%

Key Points

• Short interest fell 17.4% to 2,033,545 shares as of April 15, leaving a short-interest ratio of about 1.5 days and roughly 1.8% of shares sold short.
• Ladder Capital reported Q1 EPS of $0.22 (in line with estimates) but revenue missed expectations; analysts have a consensus "Moderate Buy" and a $12.75 price target with expected FY EPS of $0.85.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.23 (annualized yield ~8.9%), but the payout ratio is very high at about 209%, signaling dividends exceed current earnings.

Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR - Get Free Report) saw a large decrease in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 2,033,545 shares, a decrease of 17.4% from the March 31st total of 2,462,702 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,381,763 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.5 days. Approximately 1.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Ladder Capital Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE:LADR traded up $0.10 on Thursday, hitting $10.35. The stock had a trading volume of 179,670 shares, compared to its average volume of 832,886. The company has a quick ratio of 29.65, a current ratio of 29.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.37. The stock has a market cap of $1.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.51, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $10.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.63. Ladder Capital has a 1-year low of $9.61 and a 1-year high of $11.92.

Ladder Capital (NYSE:LADR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.22. The company had revenue of $51.88 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $57.03 million. Ladder Capital had a net margin of 13.82% and a return on equity of 5.68%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.20 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Ladder Capital will post 0.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ladder Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. Ladder Capital's dividend payout ratio is currently 209.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on LADR shares. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $13.50 price objective on shares of Ladder Capital in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Zacks Research cut shares of Ladder Capital from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, February 16th. Susquehanna set a $13.00 price objective on shares of Ladder Capital in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Capital One Financial set a $13.00 price objective on shares of Ladder Capital in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, HSBC set a $13.00 price objective on shares of Ladder Capital in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $12.75.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ladder Capital

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in LADR. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 931 shares during the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings 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 worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co acquired a new position in shares of Ladder Capital in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new position in shares of Ladder Capital in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ladder Capital in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. 62.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ladder Capital Company Profile

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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