Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE:APLE) Short Interest Up 12.7% in December

Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE:APLE - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 8,450,000 shares, an increase of 12.7% from the December 15th total of 7,500,000 shares. Approximately 3.8% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,760,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.8 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on APLE shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Apple Hospitality REIT from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Apple Hospitality REIT in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $18.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $18.00 price target (up from $17.00) on shares of Apple Hospitality REIT in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $16.50.

Apple Hospitality REIT Stock Down 0.3 %

APLE stock traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $15.05. 1,578,843 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,518,884. 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's fifty day moving average price is $15.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.98. Apple Hospitality REIT has a 52 week low of $13.60 and a 52 week high of $16.99. The company has a market cap of $3.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.70 and a beta of 1.13.

Apple Hospitality REIT (NYSE:APLE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.22). Apple Hospitality REIT had a net margin of 14.53% and a return on equity of 6.17%. The business had revenue of $378.84 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $377.56 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.45 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Apple Hospitality REIT will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Hospitality REIT Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. Apple Hospitality REIT's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 112.94%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Apple Hospitality REIT by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,737,959 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $100,059,000 after buying an additional 718,844 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT by 1.1% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,761,364 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $85,571,000 after purchasing an additional 62,149 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT by 0.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,243,575 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $77,867,000 after purchasing an additional 18,858 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT by 4.3% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,457,063 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $66,187,000 after purchasing an additional 182,917 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Apple Hospitality REIT by 4.8% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,375,016 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $49,072,000 after purchasing an additional 154,159 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.66% of the company's stock.

About Apple Hospitality REIT

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.

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