Renaissance Technologies LLC Purchases Shares of 327,540 Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance $ARI

Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 327,540 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $3,459,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned about 0.25% of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of ARI. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,298,362 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $52,588,000 after purchasing an additional 56,377 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,167,013 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $30,662,000 after purchasing an additional 9,273 shares during the period. No Street GP LP increased its stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 33.3% in the 3rd quarter. No Street GP LP now owns 3,000,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $30,390,000 after purchasing an additional 750,000 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 2,085,917 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $21,130,000 after purchasing an additional 134,308 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 50.4% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,291,072 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $12,498,000 after buying an additional 432,377 shares during the period. 54.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE ARI opened at $6.75 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 81.81, a quick ratio of 81.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a one year low of $6.43 and a one year high of $11.24. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $9.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $882.24 million, a PE ratio of 8.33 and a beta of 1.36.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $3.75 per share. This is a boost from Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $15.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 222.3%. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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 the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director owned 24,799 shares in the company, valued at approximately $271,053.07. This represents a 15.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.52% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on ARI. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $11.50 price target on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, BTIG Research lowered shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $11.33.

About Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

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.