Merit Financial Group LLC Purchases 10,447 Shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI)

Merit Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI) by 10.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 114,639 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 10,447 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance were worth $993,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the 2nd quarter valued at about $59,000. KBC Group NV boosted its position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 57.7% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 7,002 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 2,562 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,130,000. Finally, Algert Global LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the second quarter valued at approximately $133,000. Institutional investors own 54.43% of the company’s stock.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Price Performance

Shares of ARI opened at $9.05 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $9.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $9.52. The company has a quick ratio of 46.13, a current ratio of 46.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. has a twelve month low of $8.44 and a twelve month high of $11.97. The company has a market cap of $1.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.83 and a beta of 1.74.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.06%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s dividend payout ratio is currently -108.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ARI has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $9.50 to $8.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 17th. StockNews.com upgraded Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.00 to $9.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $9.00 to $8.75 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $9.31.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Company 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.