Samalin Investment Counsel LLC Sells 14,136 Shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate Co. (NYSE:ACRE)

Samalin Investment Counsel LLC lessened its position in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate Co. (NYSE:ACRE) by 19.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 58,089 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 14,136 shares during the quarter. Samalin Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Ares Commercial Real Estate were worth $342,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 211.0% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,741 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 5,252 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its position 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. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake 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 valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 1,711 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 472.0% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 14,301 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 11,801 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate during the third quarter valued at $96,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.34% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Ares Commercial Real Estate

In other Ares Commercial Real Estate news, VP Anton Feingold sold 7,615 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.68, for a total value of $43,253.20. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 78,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $445,084.80. This trade represents a 8.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Ares Commercial Real Estate from $6.00 to $5.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on Ares Commercial Real Estate from $6.00 to $5.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from $6.00 to $5.25 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. StockNews.com raised shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $5.81.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ACRE opened at $4.88 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $267.43 million, a PE ratio of -7.50 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.87. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $5.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $6.25. Ares Commercial Real Estate Co. has a 1 year low of $4.61 and a 1 year high of $7.99.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.31%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Ares Commercial Real Estate’s payout ratio is currently -92.31%.

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.