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Introduction & Market Context
Ladder Capital Corp. (NYSE:LADR) released its second quarter 2025 supplemental data presentation on July 24, highlighting the company’s achievement of investment grade status and a strategic shift in its portfolio composition. The commercial real estate finance platform reported distributable earnings of $30.9 million for the quarter, a significant improvement from the $0.09 EPS reported in Q1 2025 that had missed analyst expectations.
The company’s stock closed at $11.10 on July 23, 2025, up 0.73% for the day, and trading well above its 52-week low of $9.68, though still below its 52-week high of $12.48.
Quarterly Performance Highlights
Ladder Capital reported distributable earnings of $30.9 million for Q2 2025, translating to distributable EPS of $0.23, which aligns with the company’s declared quarterly dividend of $0.23 per share (representing an 8.3% annual dividend yield). The company achieved a distributable return on average equity (ROAE) of 7.7% after tax.
The company maintained its undepreciated book value per share at $13.68, which includes a CECL allowance of $0.41 per share. This represents a minimal change from the $13.71 reported a year ago.
As shown in the following quarterly summary:
Capital Structure Transformation
A key highlight of the quarter was Ladder Capital’s achievement of investment grade ratings (Baa3/BBB-) from Moody’s and Fitch, enabling the company to issue its inaugural $500 million investment grade unsecured bond with a 5.50% coupon and 167 basis point spread. The offering was approximately 5.5 times oversubscribed, demonstrating strong market confidence.
This milestone has significantly transformed Ladder’s capital structure, with unsecured debt now comprising 74% of total debt, up from 53% a year ago. The company has also increased its unencumbered assets to $3.7 billion, representing 83% of total assets compared to 62% a year earlier.
The company’s conservative capital structure is illustrated below:
Ladder maintained strong liquidity of approximately $1.0 billion, including an $850 million unsecured corporate revolver that remains fully undrawn. The company operates with an adjusted leverage ratio of 1.6x (1.5x net of cash), slightly higher than the 1.4x reported a year ago but still reflecting a conservative approach to leverage.
The company’s unencumbered asset pool has grown significantly:
Investment Portfolio Strategy
Ladder Capital’s investment portfolio totaled $4.7 billion in investment assets and unrestricted cash at the end of Q2 2025, reflecting a strategic shift in asset allocation compared to a year ago. The loan portfolio decreased to $1.6 billion from $2.5 billion a year earlier, while the securities portfolio more than quadrupled to nearly $2.0 billion from $481 million.
The company’s diversified CRE investment strategy is illustrated in the following breakdown:
In the securities segment, Ladder has maintained a high-quality portfolio with 97% AAA-rated securities and over 99% investment grade-rated securities. The weighted average yield on the securities portfolio was 5.9% with a weighted average duration of 2.4 years.
The loan portfolio, while smaller than a year ago, maintains a conservative weighted average loan-to-value ratio of 67% with an average loan size of approximately $25-30 million. The portfolio has a weighted average extended maturity of 2.2 years and is focused on light-transitional loans with no construction exposure.
Year-over-Year Comparison
Ladder Capital’s presentation included a direct comparison of key metrics from Q2 2025 versus Q2 2024, revealing both improvements and challenges. While the company has strengthened its capital structure through increased unsecured debt and unencumbered assets, some performance metrics have declined.
The company’s distributable ROAE for the last 12 months decreased to approximately 8.5% from 10.5% a year ago, and dividend coverage declined to approximately 1.1x from 1.4x. These metrics suggest some pressure on profitability despite the improved capital structure.
The year-over-year comparison is clearly illustrated in the following chart:
Investment Activity and Forward Outlook
Ladder Capital reported over $1.0 billion in new investment activity for Q2 and early Q3 2025 (through July 23, 2025), including over $360 million in new loan originations with a weighted average spread of approximately 335 basis points, and over $675 million in AAA-rated securities acquired with a weighted average yield of approximately 6.0%.
The company’s investment portfolio summary shows the distribution of assets and their contribution to distributable earnings:
Management and directors continue to maintain significant skin in the game, owning more than 11% of the company, valued at over $165 million based on the July 23, 2025 closing price of $11.10.
Looking ahead, Ladder appears positioned to leverage its investment grade rating and strong liquidity to pursue investment opportunities across its diversified platform. The company’s staggered debt maturity profile provides additional financial flexibility:
While the Q1 2025 earnings report had highlighted challenges including interest rate volatility and trade tensions affecting the commercial real estate market, the Q2 presentation focuses more on the company’s structural improvements and investment activity. The improvement in quarterly earnings from Q1 to Q2 suggests a potential stabilization, though year-over-year performance metrics indicate ongoing challenges in maintaining historical returns in the current market environment.
Full presentation:
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