Investors Purchase High Volume of Apollo Global Management Call Options (NYSE:APO)

Apollo Global Management, Inc. (NYSE:APO) saw some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Stock investors purchased 32,807 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 103% compared to the typical daily volume of 16,148 call options.

Insider Activity at Apollo Global Management

In related news, CFO Martin Kelly sold 5,000 shares of Apollo Global Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total transaction of $863,050.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 320,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $55,332,552.04. This trade represents a 1.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Leon D. Black sold 133,400 shares of Apollo Global Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.16, for a total transaction of $23,232,944.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 35,471,373 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,177,694,321.68. The trade was a 0.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 196,600 shares of company stock valued at $34,186,128 over the last ninety days. 8.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Apollo Global Management in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Apollo Global Management by 447.1% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 279 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in shares of Apollo Global Management during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Apollo Global Management by 203.6% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 501 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apollo Global Management during the fourth quarter worth about $97,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.06% of the company’s stock.

Apollo Global Management Stock Up 0.5 %

APO opened at $166.81 on Friday. Apollo Global Management has a fifty-two week low of $95.11 and a fifty-two week high of $189.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.44. The company has a fifty day moving average of $169.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $139.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $94.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.43, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.63.

Apollo Global Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $0.463 dividend. This is a boost from Apollo Global Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.11%. Apollo Global Management’s payout ratio is presently 19.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on APO shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Apollo Global Management from $141.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Apollo Global Management from $197.00 to $191.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Apollo Global Management from $150.00 to $174.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Apollo Global Management from $111.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Apollo Global Management from $162.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $164.32.

Apollo Global Management Company Profile

Apollo Global Management, Inc is a private equity firm specializing in investments in credit, private equity, infrastructure, secondaries and real estate markets. The firm prefers to invest in private and public 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, venture capital, turnaround, bridge, corporate restructuring, special situation, acquisition, and industry consolidation transactions.