Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR) Short Interest Down 17.8% in February

Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 862,800 shares, a decrease of 17.8% from the February 13th total of 1,050,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 581,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.5 days. Currently, 0.8% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Ladder Capital Stock Performance

LADR traded up $0.04 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $11.63. 395,009 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 585,951. The firm has a market cap of $1.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.52 and a beta of 1.91. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $11.41 and its 200 day moving average is $11.54. The company has a quick ratio of 38.96, a current ratio of 38.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. Ladder Capital has a one year low of $10.21 and a one year high of $12.48.

Ladder Capital (NYSE:LADR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.29 by ($0.04). Ladder Capital had a net margin of 21.36% and a return on equity of 8.77%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ladder Capital will post 1.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ladder Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.91%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Ladder Capital’s dividend payout ratio is presently 106.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on LADR. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Ladder Capital from $13.00 to $12.75 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. B. Riley upgraded shares of Ladder Capital to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Ladder Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Ladder Capital has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $13.29.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ladder Capital

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ladder Capital by 1,089.1% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 1,528,802 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $17,734,000 after purchasing an additional 1,400,238 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Ladder Capital by 28.3% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 205,403 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,382,000 after buying an additional 45,294 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ladder Capital by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,680,014 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $18,799,000 after buying an additional 39,695 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new position in Ladder Capital in the fourth quarter valued at about $4,323,000. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ladder Capital during the third quarter worth about $6,907,000. 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.