Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 5,894 Shares of Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE:APLE)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE:APLE) by 4.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 148,103 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,894 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Apple Hospitality REIT were worth $2,245,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Apple Hospitality REIT by 80.9% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,905 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 2,193 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in Apple Hospitality REIT by 37.8% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 9,257 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $142,000 after purchasing an additional 2,541 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in Apple Hospitality REIT in the 4th quarter valued at $159,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Apple Hospitality REIT in the 4th quarter valued at $167,000. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Apple Hospitality REIT by 14.6% in the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 11,727 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $174,000 after buying an additional 1,490 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.66% of the company’s stock.

Apple Hospitality REIT Price Performance

APLE stock opened at $12.93 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $14.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $15.05. Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. has a 12 month low of $12.65 and a 12 month high of $16.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 0.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The firm has a market cap of $3.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.21 and a beta of 1.12.

Apple Hospitality REIT (NYSE:APLE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $333.04 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $330.11 million. Apple Hospitality REIT had a net margin of 14.53% and a return on equity of 6.17%. On average, analysts anticipate that Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Hospitality REIT Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.43%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Apple Hospitality REIT’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 109.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Apple Hospitality REIT from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Bank of America raised shares of Apple Hospitality REIT from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $16.00 to $17.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Apple Hospitality REIT in a report on Monday, December 9th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $18.00 target price on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $16.80.

Apple Hospitality REIT Profile

Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc (NYSE: APLE) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns one of the largest and most diverse portfolios of upscale, rooms-focused hotels in the United States. Apple Hospitality's portfolio consists of 223 hotels with more than 29,400 guest rooms located in 87 markets throughout 37 states as well as one property leased to third parties.