Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE:APLE) Stock Position Lessened by Ameritas Investment Partners Inc.

Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE:APLE) by 3.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 21,521 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 817 shares during the period. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Apple Hospitality REIT were worth $353,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of APLE. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Apple Hospitality REIT in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Apple Hospitality REIT during the first quarter valued at about $37,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in Apple Hospitality REIT during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Fortis Group Advisors LLC raised its position in Apple Hospitality REIT by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 2,986 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 1,493 shares in the last quarter. 89.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wedbush began coverage on shares of Apple Hospitality REIT in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $15.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Apple Hospitality REIT from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $17.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple Hospitality REIT

In related news, Chairman Glade M. Knight acquired 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were bought at an average price of $14.78 per share, for a total transaction of $73,900.00. Following the acquisition, the chairman now owns 631,990 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,340,812.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.80% of the company’s stock.

Apple Hospitality REIT Stock Down 2.9 %

Shares of Apple Hospitality REIT stock opened at $14.79 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. has a 1 year low of $13.95 and a 1 year high of $17.90. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $14.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.46. The company has a market cap of $3.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.20 and a beta of 1.11.

Apple Hospitality REIT (NYSE:APLE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $329.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $324.68 million. Apple Hospitality REIT had a return on equity of 6.11% and a net margin of 14.58%. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.34 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. will post 1.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Hospitality REIT Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.49%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 31st. Apple Hospitality REIT’s dividend payout ratio is currently 111.63%.

Apple Hospitality REIT Company 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.