Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR) Short Interest Update

Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR) saw a large decrease in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 862,800 shares, a decrease of 17.8% from the February 13th total of 1,050,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 581,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.5 days. Currently, 0.8% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Institutional Trading of Ladder Capital

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LADR. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Ladder Capital by 816.1% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,637 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 3,240 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Ladder Capital by 13,513.5% in the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 7,079 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $82,000 after buying an additional 7,027 shares in the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. acquired a new stake in Ladder Capital during the fourth quarter worth approximately $84,000. Quarry LP increased its stake in Ladder Capital by 1,832.9% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 8,118 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $94,000 after acquiring an additional 7,698 shares during the period. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new position in Ladder Capital in the 4th quarter valued at $112,000. 62.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ladder Capital Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:LADR traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $11.70. 57,236 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 524,185. The firm has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a PE ratio of 13.60 and a beta of 1.91. Ladder Capital has a fifty-two week low of $10.20 and a fifty-two week high of $12.48. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $11.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $11.53. The company has a quick ratio of 38.96, a current ratio of 38.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05.

Ladder Capital (NYSE:LADR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.29 by ($0.04). Ladder Capital had a net margin of 21.36% and a return on equity of 8.77%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ladder Capital will post 1.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Ladder Capital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.87%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Ladder Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 106.98%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LADR has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Ladder Capital from $13.00 to $12.75 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ladder Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, B. Riley upgraded shares of Ladder Capital to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ladder Capital presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $13.29.

About Ladder Capital

Ladder Capital Corp operates as an internally-managed real estate investment trust in the United States. It operates through three segments: Loans, Securities, and Real Estate. The Loans segment originates conduit first mortgage loans that are secured by cash-flowing commercial real estate; and originates and invests in balance sheet first mortgage loans secured by commercial real estate properties that are undergoing transition, including lease-up, sell-out, and renovation or repositioning.