Traders Purchase High Volume of Put Options on Apollo Global Management (NYSE:APO)

Apollo Global Management Inc. (NYSE:APO) saw some unusual options trading on Monday. Investors acquired 19,202 put options on the company. This is an increase of 166% compared to the typical daily volume of 7,212 put options.

Apollo Global Management Stock Up 0.4%

NYSE APO traded up $0.51 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $134.36. 952,389 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,566,145. The company has a market capitalization of $79.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.17, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.51. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $126.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $122.72. Apollo Global Management has a 12 month low of $99.56 and a 12 month high of $153.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Apollo Global Management (NYSE:APO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.16 by ($0.05). Apollo Global Management had a return on equity of 14.01% and a net margin of 5.22%.The company had revenue of $5.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.65 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.92 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Apollo Global Management will post 8.12 EPS for the current year.

Apollo Global Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.5625 per share. This represents a $2.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 19th. Apollo Global Management’s dividend payout ratio is 82.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on APO shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Apollo Global Management to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. HSBC assumed coverage on shares of Apollo Global Management in a research report on Monday, July 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $145.00 price target for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating on shares of Apollo Global Management in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of Apollo Global Management from $157.00 to $156.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Apollo Global Management from $132.00 to $157.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apollo Global Management presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $152.77.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Martin Kelly sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.84, for a total value of $422,520.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 396,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $55,847,707.72. The trade was a 0.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider John P. Zito sold 48,644 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.66, for a total transaction of $6,355,825.04. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 3,063,696 shares in the company, valued at approximately $400,302,519.36. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 8.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apollo Global Management

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in APO. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Apollo Global Management during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC acquired a new position in Apollo Global Management during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. boosted its holdings in Apollo Global Management by 484.1% in the 1st quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 257 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the period. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Apollo Global Management in the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Osbon Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Apollo Global Management during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. 77.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Apollo Global Management

Apollo Global Management, Inc (NYSE: APO) is a global alternative investment manager that specializes in private equity, credit and real assets. The firm originates, invests in and manages a broad set of strategies across distressed and opportunistic credit, direct lending, structured credit, buyouts and real estate. Apollo provides investment management and advisory services to institutional clients and individual investors through pooled funds, separate accounts and publicly listed investment vehicles.

Its private equity business pursues control and non-control investments across industries, often focusing on complex or distressed situations where operational improvement and capital solutions can create value.