Wedbush Securities Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI)

Wedbush Securities Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI) by 32.3% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 16,458 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 7,854 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance were worth $161,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the second quarter worth approximately $43,000. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC purchased a new stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the first quarter worth approximately $56,000. Quest Partners LLC grew its stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 7,689.4% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 9,581 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 9,458 shares during the period. Hollencrest Capital Management grew its stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 100.0% during the first quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 10,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $111,000 after buying an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Finally, HighPoint Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the fourth quarter worth approximately $132,000. 54.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

In other Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance news, Director Scott Prince sold 4,935 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 81,154 shares in the company, valued at approximately $821,278.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE ARI opened at $9.56 on Monday. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. has a 12 month low of $9.14 and a 12 month high of $12.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 54.21 and a quick ratio of 54.21. The company has a market capitalization of $1.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.76. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $10.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.44.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Sunday, September 29th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.46%. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -128.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research note on Friday, July 19th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $9.50 to $10.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $10.25.

About Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

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.