Ladder Capital (NYSE:LADR) Rating Increased to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Ladder Capital has been upgraded from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating by analysts at Wall Street Zen, indicating a more favorable outlook for the stock.
• Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price for Ladder Capital to $12.00, while the company has a consensus rating of "Strong Buy" among analysts.
• Insider trading activity has been notable, with Director Mark David Alexander selling over 34,000 shares recently, reflecting a significant decrease in his position.

Ladder Capital (NYSE:LADR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Ladder Capital from $11.75 to $12.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has given a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Strong Buy" and an average price target of $12.00.

Ladder Capital Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:LADR traded up $0.17 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $11.76. 367,221 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 462,096. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $11.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $10.95. The firm has a market cap of $1.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.79, a PEG ratio of 9.88 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 31.28 and a current ratio of 31.28. Ladder Capital has a 52-week low of $9.68 and a 52-week high of $12.25.

Ladder Capital (NYSE:LADR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $56.26 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.57 million. Ladder Capital had a return on equity of 7.07% and a net margin of 20.05%.During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.31 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ladder Capital will post 1.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Ladder Capital

In other news, Director Mark David Alexander sold 26,795 shares of Ladder Capital stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.86, for a total transaction of $290,993.70. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 29,229 shares in the company, valued at $317,426.94. The trade was a 47.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders sold a total of 91,382 shares of company stock worth $1,003,501 over the last ninety days. 12.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LADR. KBC Group NV acquired a new stake in Ladder Capital in the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new position in Ladder Capital in the 1st quarter worth $38,000. CWM LLC lifted its position in Ladder Capital by 192.4% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,798 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 2,499 shares during the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Ladder Capital by 138.6% during the first quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 8,933 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $102,000 after acquiring an additional 5,189 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. bought a new position in Ladder Capital during the second quarter worth $108,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.25% of the company's stock.

About Ladder Capital

Ladder Capital Corp operates as an internally-managed real estate investment trust in the United States. It operates through three segments: Loans, Securities, and Real Estate. The Loans segment originates conduit first mortgage loans that are secured by cash-flowing commercial real estate; and originates and invests in balance sheet first mortgage loans secured by commercial real estate properties that are undergoing transition, including lease-up, sell-out, and renovation or repositioning.