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

KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI) by 57.7% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 7,002 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,562 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance were worth $64,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ARI. Luxor Capital Group LP bought a new position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the second quarter worth approximately $7,342,000. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in 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 period. Cetera Advisors LLC increased its position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 400.4% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 83,443 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $930,000 after buying an additional 66,768 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 36.1% during the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 225,123 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,204,000 after buying an additional 59,764 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the third quarter valued at about $422,000. Institutional investors own 54.43% of the company’s stock.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ARI opened at $9.19 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $9.07 and a 200-day moving average of $9.82. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. has a 12 month low of $8.52 and a 12 month high of $12.74. The company has a current ratio of 46.13, a quick ratio of 46.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a PE ratio of -9.98 and a beta of 1.75.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Cuts Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $9.50 to $8.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.00 to $9.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.