Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI)’s share price reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $6.62 and last traded at $6.6150, with a volume of 890083 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $6.73.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on ARI shares. Bank of America initiated coverage on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $11.50 price objective on the stock. BTIG Research lowered shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Zacks Research raised Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $11.33.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Down 1.4%

The company has a market capitalization of $850.59 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.03 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 81.80 and a current ratio of 81.81. The business’s 50 day moving average is $9.85 and its 200 day moving average is $10.36.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $58.63 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $77.85 million. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a net margin of 48.01% and a return on equity of 7.87%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance will post -0.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a $3.75 dividend. This represents a $15.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 230.6%. This is a positive change from Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s dividend payout ratio is currently 123.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance news, Director Carmencita N.M. Whonder sold 4,574 shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.93, for a total value of $49,993.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 24,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $271,053.07. The trade was a 15.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.52% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Carmel Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 40.0% during the 4th quarter. Carmel Capital Partners LLC now owns 314,501 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,044,000 after buying an additional 89,887 shares in the last quarter. NewGen Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the first quarter valued at $3,228,000. Readystate Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the first quarter valued at about $4,760,000. Family Manage LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the first quarter worth about $1,682,000. Finally, Empyrean Capital Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 1st quarter worth about $9,332,000. 54.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Company Profile

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc (NYSE: ARI) is a real estate finance company structured as a real estate investment trust (REIT). The company focuses on originating, acquiring and managing a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate debt and preferred equity investments. As an externally managed vehicle, ARI leverages the expertise and resources of an affiliate of Apollo Global Management, a leading global alternative investment manager.

ARI’s investment strategy is centered on providing first mortgage loans, mezzanine debt financing, bridge loans and preferred equity across a broad range of property types, including office, retail, industrial and multifamily assets.