KBC Group NV Purchases 2,562 Shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI)

KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI) by 57.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,002 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,562 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance were worth $64,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ARI. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 1.9% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,074,796 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $10,522,000 after purchasing an additional 19,611 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 32.1% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,034,316 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $10,126,000 after buying an additional 251,280 shares during the last quarter. Luxor Capital Group LP bought a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the 2nd quarter valued at about $7,342,000. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 5.8% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 330,228 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,233,000 after acquiring an additional 18,150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 6.6% in the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 287,792 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,817,000 after acquiring an additional 17,918 shares during the last quarter. 54.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Price Performance

NYSE:ARI opened at $9.19 on Friday. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. has a 12-month low of $8.52 and a 12-month high of $12.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.98 and a beta of 1.75. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $9.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $9.82. The company has a quick ratio of 46.13, a current ratio of 46.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.88%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -108.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ARI has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group reduced their price target on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.00 to $9.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $9.50 to $8.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $9.63.

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.