Apollo Global Management Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:APO)

Apollo Global Management, Inc. (NYSE:APO) saw some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Stock traders acquired 16,372 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 39% compared to the typical volume of 11,745 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on APO shares. Redburn Partners initiated coverage on shares of Apollo Global Management in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $153.00 target price for the company. Bank of America upgraded Apollo Global Management from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $124.00 to $123.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Apollo Global Management from $129.00 to $124.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Apollo Global Management from $128.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Apollo Global Management from $134.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.06.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Pauline Richards acquired 2,351 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $104.92 per share, for a total transaction of $246,666.92. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 85,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,007,801.68. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 8.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in APO. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new stake in Apollo Global Management in the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Apollo Global Management in the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp boosted its stake in Apollo Global Management by 709.3% during the first quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 348 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in Apollo Global Management in the first quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Apollo Global Management by 48.7% in the first quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC now owns 446 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. 77.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Apollo Global Management Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:APO opened at $140.21 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $79.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.62. Apollo Global Management has a 12-month low of $77.11 and a 12-month high of $140.35. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $116.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $115.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Apollo Global Management (NYSE:APO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The financial services provider reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $873.18 million. Apollo Global Management had a return on equity of 16.98% and a net margin of 21.90%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.54 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Apollo Global Management will post 6.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Apollo Global Management Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th were given a dividend of $0.4625 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.32%. Apollo Global Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.49%.

Apollo Global Management Company Profile

Apollo Global Management, Inc is a private equity firm specializing in investments in credit, private equity, infrastructure, secondaries and real estate markets. The firm prefers to invest in private and public markets. The firm’s private equity investments include traditional buyouts, recapitalization, distressed buyouts and debt investments in real estate, corporate partner buyouts, distressed asset, corporate carve-outs, middle market, growth, venture capital, turnaround, bridge, corporate restructuring, special situation, acquisition, and industry consolidation transactions.