Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR) Short Interest Update

Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR) saw a significant increase in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 997,700 shares, an increase of 21.3% from the September 15th total of 822,200 shares. Approximately 0.9% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 716,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.4 days.

Ladder Capital Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of Ladder Capital stock opened at $11.25 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.80 and a beta of 1.94. Ladder Capital has a 52-week low of $9.08 and a 52-week high of $12.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.21, a quick ratio of 76.87 and a current ratio of 76.87. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $11.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.40.

Ladder Capital (NYSE:LADR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.26 by $0.05. Ladder Capital had a net margin of 19.07% and a return on equity of 9.17%. The company had revenue of $71.67 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $71.22 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.31 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ladder Capital will post 1 EPS for the current year.

Ladder Capital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th were given a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.18%. Ladder Capital’s payout ratio is 121.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on LADR. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $13.50 price objective on shares of Ladder Capital in a research note on Friday, July 19th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $13.50 price target on shares of Ladder Capital in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Ladder Capital from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th. StockNews.com cut Ladder Capital from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Ladder Capital from $12.50 to $13.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $13.33.

Insider Transactions at Ladder Capital

In related news, insider Robert Perelman sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.15, for a total value of $303,750.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 351,453 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,270,153.95. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Robert Perelman sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.15, for a total value of $303,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 351,453 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,270,153.95. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, President Pamela Mccormack sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.17, for a total value of $1,217,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 598,863 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,288,162.71. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 175,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,133,250 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 12.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ladder Capital

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ladder Capital by 137.0% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,040,278 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $22,708,000 after purchasing an additional 1,179,494 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its position in Ladder Capital by 6.7% during the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 6,328,026 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $70,431,000 after buying an additional 397,817 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ladder Capital by 92.0% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 737,970 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $8,332,000 after buying an additional 353,530 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Ladder Capital by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,051,999 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $23,619,000 after buying an additional 293,615 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of Ladder Capital by 32.3% in the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,091,288 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $12,321,000 after acquiring an additional 266,693 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.25% of the company’s stock.

Ladder Capital Company Profile

Ladder Capital Corp operates as an internally-managed real estate investment trust in the United States. It operates through three segments: Loans, Securities, and Real Estate. The Loans segment originates conduit first mortgage loans that are secured by cash-flowing commercial real estate; and originates and invests in balance sheet first mortgage loans secured by commercial real estate properties that are undergoing transition, including lease-up, sell-out, and renovation or repositioning.