Insider Selling: Ares Commercial Real Estate Co. (NYSE:ACRE) CFO Sells 4,020 Shares of Stock

Ares Commercial Real Estate Co. (NYSE:ACRE) CFO Jeffrey Michael Gonzales sold 4,020 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.68, for a total transaction of $22,833.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 50,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $288,265.68. This represents a 7.34 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Price Performance

Shares of ACRE stock traded up $0.18 on Tuesday, reaching $5.86. The company had a trading volume of 407,837 shares, compared to its average volume of 511,613. The stock has a market capitalization of $319.33 million, a PE ratio of -4.96 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38. Ares Commercial Real Estate Co. has a one year low of $5.33 and a one year high of $9.24. The business’s 50-day moving average is $6.28 and its 200 day moving average is $6.75.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 17.08%. Ares Commercial Real Estate’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -84.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on ACRE shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate in a research report on Monday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from $7.00 to $6.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from $7.00 to $6.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $6.80.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 211.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,741 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 5,252 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 17.1% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,733 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 1,711 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its holdings in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 160.9% during the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 11,838 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 7,300 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Ares Commercial Real Estate during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $96,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Ares Commercial Real Estate during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $122,000. Institutional investors own 41.34% of the company’s stock.

About Ares Commercial Real Estate

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.