Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Sell

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Sunday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. BTIG Research downgraded Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Zacks Research downgraded Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $11.33.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Performance

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock opened at $6.89 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $885.64 million, a P/E ratio of 8.61 and a beta of 1.36. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a fifty-two week low of $6.43 and a fifty-two week high of $11.24. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $7.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.71.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The real estate investment trust reported ($2.62) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $44.38 million for the quarter. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a return on equity of 7.39% and a net margin of 55.49%. As a group, analysts forecast 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a dividend of $3.75 per share. This represents a $15.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 217.7%. This is a boost from Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s payout ratio is presently 125.00%.

Institutional Trading of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ARI. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 388.7% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 3,255 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 2,589 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $47,000. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 61.7% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 4,656 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 1,777 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the 3rd quarter valued at $50,000. Finally, Markowski Investments purchased a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 2nd quarter worth $55,000. 54.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.