Apollo commercial real estate finance CEO sells $520,219 in stock

Stuart Rothstein, President and CEO of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI), recently sold 52,074 shares of the company’s common stock. The transactions, conducted on March 17, were executed at a weighted average price of $9.99 per share, totaling approximately $520,219. The $1.38 billion market cap company has shown strong momentum with a 15.13% return year-to-date, according to InvestingPro data. These sales were part of a pre-arranged trading plan under Rule 10b5-1, which Rothstein adopted in November 2024. Following these transactions, Rothstein holds 385,928 shares, including 210,122 restricted stock units. While the company wasn’t profitable in the last twelve months, InvestingPro analysts expect profitability to return this year. The company maintains an attractive 10.03% dividend yield, having sustained dividend payments for 16 consecutive years. For deeper insights into ARI’s valuation and growth prospects, investors can access the comprehensive Pro Research Report, available exclusively on InvestingPro.

In other recent news, Dollar Tree (NASDAQ:DLTR) is reportedly exploring the sale or spinoff of Family Dollar, with interest from private equity firms such as Apollo Global Management (NYSE:APO), Sycamore Partners, and Brigade Capital Management. The potential sale, which could value Family Dollar at several billion dollars, is still in the early stages, and no deal is imminent. This development follows Dollar Tree’s engagement with JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM) to assess strategic options for Family Dollar, leading to investor interest in possible changes to the company’s structure.

Meanwhile, Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance reported fourth-quarter earnings that exceeded expectations, prompting Keefe, Bruyette & Woods to raise their price target on Apollo’s stock to $10.00, while maintaining a Market Perform rating. The earnings beat was due to increased Real Estate Owned income and lower-than-expected credit loss reserves. BTIG also maintained a Neutral rating on Apollo’s stock following the earnings report, which highlighted a strong dividend coverage and a new $114 million loan origination for 2025.

BTIG noted Apollo’s stable credit performance and lack of loan downgrades during the quarter, despite challenges with a Massachusetts hospital loan. Analysts are keen to learn more about Apollo’s future loan origination plans and the potential for capital reallocation from its watchlist and real estate owned portfolio. Both KBW and BTIG’s assessments underscore Apollo’s strategic management of its financial assets and earnings potential.

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