Versor Investments LP Sells 7,400 Shares of Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE:APLE)

Versor Investments LP reduced its position in Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE:APLE) by 20.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 28,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 7,400 shares during the quarter. Versor Investments LP’s holdings in Apple Hospitality REIT were worth $430,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of APLE. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Apple Hospitality REIT in the 4th quarter valued at $167,000. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. boosted its position in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. now owns 27,079 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $416,000 after acquiring an additional 1,272 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in Apple Hospitality REIT in the fourth quarter valued at about $239,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Apple Hospitality REIT by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,082,741 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $16,620,000 after purchasing an additional 26,489 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. lifted its stake in Apple Hospitality REIT by 32.2% during the fourth quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 495,091 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $7,600,000 after purchasing an additional 120,683 shares during the period. 89.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on APLE. StockNews.com upgraded Apple Hospitality REIT from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Apple Hospitality REIT from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $18.00 price objective (up from $17.00) on shares of Apple Hospitality REIT in a report on Friday, November 8th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Apple Hospitality REIT in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $18.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of Apple Hospitality REIT from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $16.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apple Hospitality REIT presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $16.80.

Apple Hospitality REIT Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:APLE opened at $14.79 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $15.18 and a 200-day moving average of $15.15. The firm has a market cap of $3.54 billion, a PE ratio of 17.39 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 0.04 and a current ratio of 0.04. Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. has a twelve month low of $13.60 and a twelve month high of $16.99.

Apple Hospitality REIT (NYSE:APLE) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. Apple Hospitality REIT had a net margin of 14.53% and a return on equity of 6.17%. The company had revenue of $333.04 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $330.11 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. will post 1.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Hospitality REIT Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.49%. Apple Hospitality REIT’s payout ratio is 109.09%.

Apple Hospitality REIT Profile

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.