Ares Commercial Real Estate Co. (NYSE:ACRE) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Ares Commercial Real Estate Co. (NYSE:ACRE - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,480,000 shares, a decrease of 9.2% from the January 15th total of 1,630,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 591,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.5 days.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Anton Feingold sold 7,615 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.68, for a total value of $43,253.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 78,360 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $445,084.80. This represents a 8.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.80% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ares Commercial Real Estate

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ACRE. Alpine Global Management LLC bought a new stake in Ares Commercial Real Estate in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $368,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC bought a new stake in Ares Commercial Real Estate during the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its holdings in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 220.8% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 85,000 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $501,000 after buying an additional 58,500 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its holdings in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 125.8% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 234,054 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,379,000 after acquiring an additional 130,388 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 49.0% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 15,045 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $89,000 after acquiring an additional 4,950 shares during the last quarter. 41.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on ACRE shares. StockNews.com upgraded Ares Commercial Real Estate from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from $6.00 to $5.50 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from $6.00 to $5.50 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ares Commercial Real Estate has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $6.60.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of ACRE stock traded down $0.04 on Friday, hitting $4.96. 753,335 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 663,942. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $271.83 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.62 and a beta of 1.50. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $5.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $6.55. Ares Commercial Real Estate has a one year low of $4.88 and a one year high of $8.03.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Cuts Dividend

The business 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 $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.11%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Ares Commercial Real Estate's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -153.84%.

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.