Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Grows Holdings in Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE:APLE)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE:APLE) by 27.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 168,472 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 36,515 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned 0.07% of Apple Hospitality REIT worth $2,586,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in APLE. Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,651,000. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new position in Apple Hospitality REIT during the third quarter valued at about $4,285,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Apple Hospitality REIT during the fourth quarter valued at about $3,844,000. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT by 118.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 422,361 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $6,273,000 after purchasing an additional 229,293 shares during the period. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP boosted its position in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 2,099,877 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $31,183,000 after purchasing an additional 207,256 shares during the period. 89.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on APLE shares. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Apple Hospitality REIT in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $18.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com raised Apple Hospitality REIT from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America raised Apple Hospitality REIT from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $16.00 to $17.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Apple Hospitality REIT from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $16.80.

Apple Hospitality REIT Trading Up 3.0 %

Shares of APLE opened at $13.55 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $14.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $15.13. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $13.11 and a 52-week high of $16.83. The company has a market cap of $3.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.94 and a beta of 1.12.

Apple Hospitality REIT (NYSE:APLE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $333.04 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $330.11 million. Apple Hospitality REIT had a return on equity of 6.17% and a net margin of 14.53%. Analysts predict that Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. will post 1.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Hospitality REIT Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.09%. Apple Hospitality REIT’s payout ratio is currently 109.09%.

Apple Hospitality REIT 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.