Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI) Short Interest Update

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,160,000 shares, a decline of 9.5% from the July 15th total of 5,700,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 916,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.6 days. Currently, 3.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on ARI. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research note on Friday, July 19th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $9.50 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $10.25.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE ARI traded up $0.03 on Friday, hitting $10.20. 700,611 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 855,682. The company has a current ratio of 52.35, a quick ratio of 52.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The company has a market capitalization of $1.45 billion, a P/E ratio of -13.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.75. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a twelve month low of $9.14 and a twelve month high of $12.74. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $10.25 and a 200 day moving average of $10.53.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 28th were paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 28th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 13.73%. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s payout ratio is -179.49%.

Insider Activity at Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

In other Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance news, Director Scott Prince sold 4,935 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.12, for a total value of $49,942.20. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 81,154 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $821,278.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,840,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the fourth quarter worth about $764,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 57,534 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $675,000 after acquiring an additional 7,541 shares during the period. AM Investment Strategies LLC bought a new stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the 4th quarter valued at about $358,000. Finally, Anfield Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 32,728 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $384,000 after purchasing an additional 3,512 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.43% of the company’s stock.

About Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) that originates, acquires, invests in, and manages commercial first mortgage loans, subordinate financings, and other commercial real estate-related debt investments in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe.