Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI) Shares Sold by Evoke Wealth LLC

Evoke Wealth LLC lessened its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI) by 60.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,293 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 15,575 shares during the quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC’s holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance were worth $92,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ARI. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 327.1% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,045 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 2,332 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 57.7% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 7,002 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 2,562 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the fourth quarter worth about $93,000. CIBC Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the fourth quarter worth about $112,000. Finally, Cibc World Markets Corp acquired a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the fourth quarter worth about $112,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.43% of the company’s stock.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Down 0.2 %

NYSE:ARI opened at $9.96 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.38 billion, a PE ratio of -10.48 and a beta of 1.74. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $9.50 and a 200-day moving average of $9.29. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. has a 52 week low of $8.44 and a 52 week high of $11.64. The company has a current ratio of 51.19, a quick ratio of 51.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.07. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a positive return on equity of 9.37% and a negative net margin of 39.40%. Analysts predict that Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. will post 0.63 EPS for the current year.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -105.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on ARI. StockNews.com upgraded Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 15th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $9.00 to $8.75 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $9.08.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Carmencita N.M. Whonder sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.96, for a total value of $109,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $95,855.04. This represents a 53.34 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Stuart Rothstein sold 52,074 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.99, for a total value of $520,219.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 385,928 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,855,420.72. This trade represents a 11.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Company 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.