Ares Commercial Real Estate Co. (NYSE:ACRE) Receives Consensus Rating of “Reduce” from Analysts

Shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate Co. (NYSE:ACRE) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” by the eight analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have issued a hold rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $8.79.

ACRE has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Bank of America reissued an “underperform” rating and set a $7.00 price objective (down previously from $11.00) on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate in a report on Monday, March 4th. TheStreet lowered Ares Commercial Real Estate from a “c-” rating to a “d+” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Ares Commercial Real Estate from $10.50 to $8.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from $8.00 to $7.50 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Trading Down 3.2 %

Shares of NYSE ACRE opened at $6.53 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $7.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $9.11. Ares Commercial Real Estate has a 52 week low of $6.51 and a 52 week high of $11.24. The stock has a market cap of $355.09 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.06 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.43.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 28th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 15.33%. Ares Commercial Real Estate’s dividend payout ratio is presently -138.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Bryan Patrick Donohoe purchased 3,509 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Sunday, March 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $14.32 per share, with a total value of $50,248.88. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 41,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $590,828.88. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, VP Anton Feingold sold 5,890 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.37, for a total value of $61,079.30. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 68,975 shares in the company, valued at $715,270.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Bryan Patrick Donohoe acquired 3,509 shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate stock in a transaction dated Sunday, March 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $14.32 per share, with a total value of $50,248.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 41,259 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $590,828.88. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ares Commercial Real Estate

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ACRE. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 33.7% during the 4th quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 136,850 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,418,000 after acquiring an additional 34,491 shares in the last quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 14.4% in the 3rd quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 51,638 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $491,000 after buying an additional 6,519 shares during the last quarter. Samalin Investment Counsel LLC lifted its position in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. Samalin Investment Counsel LLC now owns 25,519 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $243,000 after buying an additional 2,859 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 21.9% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 29,395 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $305,000 after buying an additional 5,286 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 9.7% during the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 21,260 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $202,000 after buying an additional 1,876 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 41.34% of the company’s stock.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Company Profile

Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation, a specialty finance company, originates and invests in commercial real estate (CRE) loans and related investments in the United States. It provides a range of financing solutions for the owners, operators, and sponsors of CRE properties. The company originates senior mortgage loans, subordinate debt and preferred equity products, mezzanine loans, and other CRE investments, including commercial mortgage-backed securities.