V
an ECK Associates Corp significantly increased its stake in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI) by 12.1% during the fourth quarter, according to a recent SEC filing. The fund acquired an additional 115,109 shares, bringing its total holdings to 1,063,511 shares worth approximately $9.21 million. This represents about 0.77% of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance's outstanding stock.

    Other notable investors have also made significant changes to their positions in the company. KBC Group NV boosted its stake by 57.7% in the third quarter, while EMC Capital Management increased its holdings by a staggering 272.1%. Diversify Wealth Management LLC and BBR Partners LLC also purchased new stakes in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance during the fourth quarter.

    Institutional investors own approximately 54.43% of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance's stock, with hedge funds being a significant portion of this group. Analysts have weighed in on the company, with UBS Group lowering its price target to $9.50 and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reducing its target to $8.75.

    Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a market capitalization of $1.39 billion and a PE ratio of -10.97. The company's stock opened at $10.10 on Monday, with a 52-week low of $8.44 and a high of $11.64. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance reported earnings per share of $0.30 in its latest quarter, beating analyst estimates.

    The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.25, which represents an annualized dividend yield of 9.91%. However, its dividend payout ratio is -108.69%, indicating that the company may struggle to maintain this level of dividend payments.

    Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) that originates, acquires, and manages commercial first mortgage loans, subordinate financings, and other commercial real estate-related debt investments in the United States, the UK, and Europe.