Apollo Global Management, Inc. (NYSE:APO) Short Interest Up 5.9% in July

Apollo Global Management, Inc. (NYSE:APO) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 20,250,000 shares, a growth of 5.9% from the July 15th total of 19,120,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,790,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 7.3 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APO has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Apollo Global Management from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Apollo Global Management from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Apollo Global Management from $134.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Apollo Global Management from $122.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Apollo Global Management from $128.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $124.62.

Apollo Global Management Price Performance

Apollo Global Management stock traded up $0.63 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $111.00. 1,950,123 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,536,742. Apollo Global Management has a 52 week low of $77.11 and a 52 week high of $126.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 1.60. The firm has a market cap of $63.07 billion, a PE ratio of 12.29, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.59. The company’s fifty day moving average is $116.33 and its 200-day moving average is $113.11.

Apollo Global Management (NYSE:APO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The financial services provider reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by ($0.03). Apollo Global Management had a return on equity of 17.97% and a net margin of 21.90%. The business had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $873.18 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.54 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Apollo Global Management will post 7.09 EPS for the current year.

Apollo Global Management Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.4625 per share. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. Apollo Global Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.49%.

Insider Activity at Apollo Global Management

In related news, Director Pauline Richards acquired 2,351 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $104.92 per share, for a total transaction of $246,666.92. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 85,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,007,801.68. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 8.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in APO. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its holdings in Apollo Global Management by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 3,399 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $317,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Zhang Financial LLC raised its stake in Apollo Global Management by 0.6% in the first quarter. Zhang Financial LLC now owns 17,724 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,993,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. FineMark National Bank & Trust raised its stake in Apollo Global Management by 2.4% in the second quarter. FineMark National Bank & Trust now owns 4,117 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $486,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Orion Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Apollo Global Management by 20.0% in the first quarter. Orion Capital Management LLC now owns 600 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its position in Apollo Global Management by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,308 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $147,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. 77.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Apollo Global Management Company Profile

Apollo Global Management, Inc is a private equity firm specializing in investments in credit, private equity and real estate markets. The firm's private equity investments include traditional buyouts, recapitalization, distressed buyouts and debt investments in real estate, corporate partner buyouts, distressed asset, corporate carve-outs, middle market, growth capital, turnaround, bridge, corporate restructuring, special situation, acquisition, and industry consolidation transactions.