Vanguard Group Inc. Reduces Stock Holdings in Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE:APLE)

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE:APLE) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,384,327 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 391,161 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 0.15% of Apple Hospitality REIT worth $543,149,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Apple Hospitality REIT by 80.9% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,905 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 2,193 shares during the period. KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT by 37.8% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 9,257 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $142,000 after acquiring an additional 2,541 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT during the 4th quarter valued at $159,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT in the 4th quarter worth $167,000. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its position in Apple Hospitality REIT by 14.6% during the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 11,727 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $174,000 after purchasing an additional 1,490 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.66% of the company’s stock.

Apple Hospitality REIT Price Performance

APLE stock opened at $12.92 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The stock has a market cap of $3.10 billion, a PE ratio of 15.19 and a beta of 1.12. Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. has a 12 month low of $12.65 and a 12 month high of $16.51. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $14.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.06.

Apple Hospitality REIT (NYSE:APLE) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. The business 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Hospitality REIT Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.43%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Apple Hospitality REIT’s dividend payout ratio is 109.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APLE has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Apple Hospitality REIT from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Apple Hospitality REIT from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $16.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Apple Hospitality REIT in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $18.00 price target on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apple Hospitality REIT currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $16.80.

About Apple Hospitality REIT

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.