Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE:APLE) Shares Purchased by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE:APLE) by 37.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,257 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,541 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Apple Hospitality REIT were worth $142,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Apple Hospitality REIT by 40.4% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,712 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 780 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT by 30.0% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 7,932 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $118,000 after buying an additional 1,831 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT by 28.6% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 11,262 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $171,000 after buying an additional 2,506 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT by 21.3% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 11,716 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $170,000 after buying an additional 2,059 shares during the period. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Apple Hospitality REIT by 14.6% in the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 11,727 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $174,000 after acquiring an additional 1,490 shares during the last quarter. 89.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Apple Hospitality REIT Stock Performance

Apple Hospitality REIT stock opened at $15.82 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.79 billion, a PE ratio of 18.61 and a beta of 1.13. Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. has a one year low of $13.60 and a one year high of $16.99. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $15.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 0.04 and a current ratio of 0.04.

Apple Hospitality REIT (NYSE:APLE) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.22). The firm had revenue of $378.84 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $377.56 million. Apple Hospitality REIT had a return on equity of 6.17% and a net margin of 14.53%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.45 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. will post 1.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Hospitality REIT Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.07%. Apple Hospitality REIT’s dividend payout ratio is currently 112.94%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on APLE. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $18.00 price target (up from $17.00) on shares of Apple Hospitality REIT in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Apple Hospitality REIT from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $16.00 to $17.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Apple Hospitality REIT from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Apple Hospitality REIT has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $16.60.

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.