Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE:APLE) Short Interest Update

Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE:APLE) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 8,450,000 shares, a growth of 12.7% from the December 15th total of 7,500,000 shares. Currently, 3.8% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,760,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.8 days.

Apple Hospitality REIT Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of APLE opened at $15.05 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $15.60 and its 200 day moving average is $14.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. Apple Hospitality REIT has a 12-month low of $13.60 and a 12-month high of $16.99. The company has a market capitalization of $3.61 billion, a PE ratio of 17.70 and a beta of 1.13.

Apple Hospitality REIT (NYSE:APLE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($0.22). Apple Hospitality REIT had a net margin of 14.53% and a return on equity of 6.17%. The company had revenue of $378.84 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $377.56 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.45 EPS. Research analysts expect that Apple Hospitality REIT will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Hospitality REIT Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.38%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. Apple Hospitality REIT’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 112.94%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Apple Hospitality REIT by 1,110.9% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 205,409 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,153,000 after buying an additional 188,446 shares during the last quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH raised its stake in Apple Hospitality REIT by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 920,660 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $14,132,000 after purchasing an additional 3,430 shares in the last quarter. Burney Co. grew its stake in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. Burney Co. now owns 39,137 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $601,000 after buying an additional 3,208 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT by 80.9% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,905 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 2,193 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,243,575 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $77,867,000 after buying an additional 18,858 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.66% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on APLE shares. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Apple Hospitality REIT in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $18.00 price objective for the company. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $18.00 price target (up from $17.00) on shares of Apple Hospitality REIT in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Apple Hospitality REIT from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apple Hospitality REIT has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $16.50.

Apple Hospitality REIT Company Profile

Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc (NYSE: APLE) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns one of the largest and most diverse portfolios of upscale, rooms-focused hotels in the United States. Apple Hospitality's portfolio consists of 223 hotels with more than 29,400 guest rooms located in 87 markets throughout 37 states as well as one property leased to third parties.