Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Sells 4,300 Shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lessened its holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI) by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 61,500 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 4,300 shares during the quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance were worth $565,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 59,621 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $584,000 after buying an additional 1,039 shares in the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 3.4% in the second quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 47,232 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $462,000 after acquiring an additional 1,550 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 10.3% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 17,711 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $197,000 after buying an additional 1,653 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 28,386 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $316,000 after purchasing an additional 1,985 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 3.0% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 70,256 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $688,000 after purchasing an additional 2,037 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 54.43% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Scott Prince sold 4,935 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.12, for a total value of $49,942.20. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 81,154 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $821,278.48. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on ARI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on 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. StockNews.com cut shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, BTIG Research started coverage on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research report on Friday, July 19th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $9.88.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Performance

ARI opened at $8.90 on Wednesday. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. has a 52-week low of $8.52 and a 52-week high of $12.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.23 billion, a PE ratio of -9.67, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 46.13 and a current ratio of 46.13. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $9.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $9.93.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.24%. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s dividend payout ratio is presently -108.69%.

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.