Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI) Director Carmencita N.M. Whonder Sells 11,400 Shares

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI) Director Carmencita N.M. Whonder sold 11,400 shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.21, for a total transaction of $116,394.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 20,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $210,571.04. This trade represents a 35.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Carmencita N.M. Whonder also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, March 4th, Carmencita N.M. Whonder sold 11,000 shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.96, for a total transaction of $109,560.00.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Price Performance

Shares of ARI opened at $10.01 on Friday. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. has a 1-year low of $8.44 and a 1-year high of $11.64. The stock has a market cap of $1.39 billion, a PE ratio of -10.53 and a beta of 1.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 51.19 and a quick ratio of 51.19. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $9.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.32.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. 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 negative net margin of 39.40% and a positive return on equity of 9.37%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. will post 0.63 EPS for the current year.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.00%. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -105.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 15th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased 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 report on Tuesday, January 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $9.08.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,684,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,360,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 130.1% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 480,852 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $4,164,000 after acquiring an additional 271,908 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 14.9% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,745,469 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $15,116,000 after purchasing an additional 226,399 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 72.0% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 468,335 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $4,304,000 after purchasing an additional 196,122 shares during the last quarter. 54.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.