Van ECK Associates Corp Increases Holdings in Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR)

Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR) by 27.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,223,151 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 261,681 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp owned approximately 0.96% of Ladder Capital worth $13,687,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in Ladder Capital in the fourth quarter worth $4,323,000. Longboard Asset Management LP bought a new position in Ladder Capital in the 4th quarter worth $160,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ladder Capital in the 4th quarter worth about $112,000. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ladder Capital by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 29,424 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 4,027 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ladder Capital by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,011 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $191,000 after buying an additional 2,011 shares during the period. 62.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ladder Capital Stock Performance

Ladder Capital stock opened at $11.61 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $11.35 and its 200 day moving average is $11.56. The company has a market capitalization of $1.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.49 and a beta of 1.92. Ladder Capital Corp has a twelve month low of $10.20 and a twelve month high of $12.48. The company has a quick ratio of 54.44, a current ratio of 54.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.34.

Ladder Capital (NYSE:LADR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.04). Ladder Capital had a return on equity of 8.78% and a net margin of 21.36%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Ladder Capital Corp will post 1.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ladder Capital Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.93%. Ladder Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 106.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on LADR. B. Riley upgraded shares of Ladder Capital to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on Ladder Capital from $13.00 to $12.75 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $13.29.

Ladder Capital Profile

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.