Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Acquires Shares of 355,106 Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE:APLE)

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE:APLE - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 355,106 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $5,451,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC owned 0.15% of Apple Hospitality REIT at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of APLE. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new position in Apple Hospitality REIT during the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT by 80.9% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,905 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 2,193 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT by 20.1% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 6,740 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 1,128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FIL Ltd grew its stake in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT by 76.4% during the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 8,599 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $132,000 after purchasing an additional 3,725 shares in the last quarter. 89.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on APLE shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Apple Hospitality REIT from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Bank of America upgraded Apple Hospitality REIT from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $16.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Apple Hospitality REIT presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $16.80.

Apple Hospitality REIT Price Performance

NYSE:APLE remained flat at $11.72 during mid-day trading on Friday. The company had a trading volume of 4,737,965 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,243,901. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.80 billion, a PE ratio of 13.79 and a beta of 1.07. Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. has a 12-month low of $10.44 and a 12-month high of $16.50. The company has a 50-day moving average of $12.72 and a 200 day moving average of $14.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 0.04 and a quick ratio of 0.04.

Apple Hospitality REIT (NYSE:APLE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. Apple Hospitality REIT had a net margin of 14.53% and a return on equity of 6.17%. The business had revenue of $327.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $332.86 million. As a group, research analysts predict that Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. will post 1.6 EPS for the current year.

Apple Hospitality REIT Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.19%. Apple Hospitality REIT's payout ratio is 121.52%.

About Apple Hospitality REIT

Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc NYSE: APLE is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns one of the largest and most diverse portfolios of upscale, rooms-focused hotels in the United States. Apple Hospitality's portfolio consists of 223 hotels with more than 29,400 guest rooms located in 87 markets throughout 37 states as well as one property leased to third parties.