Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,150,000 shares, a growth of 52.0% from the October 15th total of 756,600 shares. Currently, 1.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 733,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.6 days.

Ladder Capital Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LADR traded down $0.06 during trading on Friday, reaching $11.64. The company had a trading volume of 364,979 shares, compared to its average volume of 636,366. Ladder Capital has a 52 week low of $10.10 and a 52 week high of $12.48. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $11.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.51. The stock has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a PE ratio of 15.32 and a beta of 1.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.34, a quick ratio of 54.44 and a current ratio of 54.44.

Ladder Capital (NYSE:LADR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.26 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $128.64 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.85 million. Ladder Capital had a net margin of 18.90% and a return on equity of 9.14%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.28 EPS. Analysts expect that Ladder Capital will post 1 earnings per share for the current year.

Ladder Capital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.90%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. Ladder Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 121.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Ladder Capital from $12.50 to $13.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $13.50 target price on shares of Ladder Capital in a report on Friday, August 30th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Ladder Capital from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $13.50 price objective on shares of Ladder Capital in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Ladder Capital from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $13.33.

Insider Activity at Ladder Capital

In related news, insider Robert Perelman sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.15, for a total value of $303,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 351,453 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,270,153.95. This represents a 6.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, President Pamela Mccormack sold 50,000 shares of Ladder Capital stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.25, for a total value of $612,500.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 548,863 shares in the company, valued at $6,723,571.75. The trade was a 8.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 12.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ladder Capital

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Ladder Capital by 57.3% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 55,555 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $618,000 after purchasing an additional 20,242 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Ladder Capital during the 1st quarter worth $148,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Ladder Capital by 9.9% during the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 113,448 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,263,000 after acquiring an additional 10,257 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ladder Capital by 8.5% in the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 20,361 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 1,602 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ladder Capital by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,234,757 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $125,043,000 after purchasing an additional 28,602 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.25% of the company’s stock.

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.