Ares Commercial Real Estate Co. (NYSE:ACRE) Receives Average Rating of “Reduce” from Analysts

Shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate Co. (NYSE:ACRE) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $7.10.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate in a research note on Monday, December 9th. StockNews.com raised shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $7.50 to $7.00 in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Ares Commercial Real Estate from $7.00 to $6.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 17th.

Institutional Trading of Ares Commercial Real Estate

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of ACRE. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 17.1% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,733 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 1,711 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 86,466 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $575,000 after buying an additional 1,797 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Wealth Partners Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 11.1% during the 3rd quarter. Strategic Wealth Partners Ltd. now owns 20,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $140,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 41,492 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $276,000 after acquiring an additional 2,769 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 4.3% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 88,093 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $617,000 after acquiring an additional 3,593 shares during the last quarter. 41.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ACRE opened at $5.73 on Friday. Ares Commercial Real Estate has a twelve month low of $5.69 and a twelve month high of $10.53. The company has a market cap of $312.53 million, a PE ratio of -4.86 and a beta of 1.51. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $6.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $6.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 17.45%. Ares Commercial Real Estate’s payout ratio is -84.75%.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Company Profile

Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation, a specialty finance company, originates and invests in commercial real estate (CRE) loans and related investments in the United States. It provides a range of financing solutions for the owners, operators, and sponsors of CRE properties. The company originates senior mortgage loans, subordinate debt and preferred equity products, mezzanine loans, and other CRE investments, including commercial mortgage-backed securities.