Wedbush Securities Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI)

Wedbush Securities Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI) by 32.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,458 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 7,854 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance were worth $161,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ARI. Natixis Advisors L.P. purchased a new stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the fourth quarter worth about $204,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,961,777 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $23,031,000 after purchasing an additional 120,055 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the fourth quarter valued at about $12,006,000. H&H Retirement Design & Management INC lifted its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. H&H Retirement Design & Management INC now owns 33,644 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $395,000 after purchasing an additional 1,081 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Palogic Value Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Palogic Value Management L.P. now owns 92,741 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,089,000 after purchasing an additional 2,569 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 54.43% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Scott Prince sold 4,935 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.12, for a total transaction of $49,942.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 81,154 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $821,278.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Performance

NYSE:ARI opened at $9.56 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $10.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 54.21 and a quick ratio of 54.21. The firm has a market cap of $1.36 billion, a PE ratio of -12.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.76. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. has a 1-year low of $9.14 and a 1-year high of $12.74.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Sunday, September 29th. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s dividend payout ratio is presently -128.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on ARI shares. BTIG Research started coverage on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a report on Friday, July 19th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $9.50 to $10.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $10.25.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Profile

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.