Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Shares Gap Up After Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock had previously closed at $9.09, but opened at $9.46. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance shares last traded at $9.82, with a volume of 454,006 shares.

The real estate investment trust reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.07. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a positive return on equity of 9.11% and a negative net margin of 35.84%.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s payout ratio is currently -108.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ARI has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $9.50 to $8.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.00 to $9.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $9.00 to $8.75 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $9.31.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 327.1% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,045 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 2,332 shares during the period. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 57.7% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 7,002 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 2,562 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. acquired a new stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $87,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $93,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,130,000. Institutional investors own 54.43% of the company’s stock.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $8.97 and a 200 day moving average of $9.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 46.13 and a current ratio of 46.13. The firm has a market cap of $1.35 billion, a P/E ratio of -10.60 and a beta of 1.74.

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.