Inspire Investing LLC Boosts Stake in Ares Commercial Real Estate Co. (NYSE:ACRE)

Inspire Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Ares Commercial Real Estate Co. (NYSE:ACRE) by 17.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 68,543 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 10,362 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in Ares Commercial Real Estate were worth $404,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,711 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Wealth Partners Ltd. lifted its holdings in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 11.1% during the third quarter. Strategic Wealth Partners Ltd. now owns 20,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $140,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 7.2% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 41,492 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $276,000 after purchasing an additional 2,769 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 4.3% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 88,093 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $617,000 after purchasing an additional 3,593 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 211.0% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,741 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 5,252 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Ares Commercial Real Estate Price Performance

NYSE:ACRE opened at $5.76 on Friday. Ares Commercial Real Estate Co. has a 52-week low of $5.33 and a 52-week high of $10.53. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $6.45 and a 200 day moving average of $6.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $313.88 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.88 and a beta of 1.51.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 17.38%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. Ares Commercial Real Estate’s payout ratio is -84.75%.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Profile

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.