Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation (NYSE:ACRE) Receives $5.33 Average Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation (NYSE:ACRE) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” by the six research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $5.3333.

ACRE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Zacks Research lowered Ares Commercial Real Estate from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from $5.50 to $6.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from $4.50 to $5.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th.

Insider Transactions at Ares Commercial Real Estate

In related news, CEO Bryan Patrick Donohoe sold 21,761 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.93, for a total value of $107,281.73. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 250,197 shares in the company, valued at $1,233,471.21. The trade was a 8.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Anton Feingold sold 7,606 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.93, for a total value of $37,497.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 92,754 shares in the company, valued at approximately $457,277.22. This represents a 7.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 35,585 shares of company stock worth $175,434. Company insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ares Commercial Real Estate

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 456.0% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 6,033 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 4,948 shares during the period. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 94.3% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,997 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 3,396 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 100.3% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 10,367 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 5,192 shares during the period. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate in the first quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Institutional investors own 41.34% of the company’s stock.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ACRE opened at $5.19 on Friday. Ares Commercial Real Estate has a 52-week low of $3.35 and a 52-week high of $5.89. The company has a market capitalization of $287.09 million, a P/E ratio of -259.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $5.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $4.84.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Ares Commercial Real Estate’s payout ratio is currently -3,000.00%.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Company Profile

Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation (NYSE: ACRE) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) primarily focused on commercial real estate debt investments. Externally managed by an affiliate of Ares Management Corporation, ACRE seeks to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns through its diversified portfolio of CRE financing strategies. The company specializes in originating, acquiring, financing and managing first mortgages, mezzanine loans, preferred equity and other structured finance products.

Since its inception, Ares Commercial Real Estate has targeted a broad range of property types, including multifamily, office, industrial, retail and hospitality assets.