Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI) Stake Lowered by Louisiana State Employees Retirement System

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System cut its holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI) by 6.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 61,500 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 4,300 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance were worth $565,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the second quarter worth $43,000. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the third quarter worth $44,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the second quarter worth $59,000. Quest Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 7,689.4% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 9,581 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 9,458 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Algert Global LLC bought a new stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the second quarter worth $133,000. 54.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Scott Prince sold 4,935 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.12, for a total transaction of $49,942.20. Following the transaction, the director now owns 81,154 shares in the company, valued at $821,278.48. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Performance

NYSE:ARI opened at $8.90 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.23 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.75. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. has a 1 year low of $8.52 and a 1 year high of $12.74. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $9.36 and a 200-day moving average of $9.93. The company has a current ratio of 46.13, a quick ratio of 46.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.24%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s payout ratio is presently -108.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday. BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research report on Friday, July 19th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $9.50 to $8.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $9.88.

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.