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nyone interested in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI) should be aware that Independent Director Carmencita N. Whonder recently sold US$226k worth of shares at an average price of US$10.08 each, reducing their holding by 70%. This sale doesn't exactly fill us with confidence about the stock's prospects.

    In the last year, Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance insiders have made significant sales. Independent Director Scott Prince made the largest single transaction, selling US$403k worth of shares at a price of US$10.10 each. While we don't like to see insider selling, this sale took place at around the current price, which is somewhat less concerning. However, it's still not a positive sign.

    Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance insiders haven't bought any company stock in the last year. The chart below shows insider transactions over the last 12 months. Insiders own 0.5% of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance shares, worth about US$6.8m, according to our data. This level of ownership isn't particularly impressive, but it's better than nothing.

    Considering these sales and low insider ownership, we're not rushing to buy the stock. It's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. For example, Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has 3 warning signs (and 1 which can't be ignored) we think you should know about.