11,762 Shares in Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE:APLE) Bought by Stevens Capital Management LP

Stevens Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE:APLE) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 11,762 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $195,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Apple Hospitality REIT by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 35,369,907 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $542,574,000 after buying an additional 2,476,241 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Apple Hospitality REIT by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,040,599 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $108,003,000 after buying an additional 1,170,865 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Apple Hospitality REIT by 52.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,303,878 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $35,341,000 after buying an additional 795,380 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in Apple Hospitality REIT by 17.5% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,375,459 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $51,746,000 after buying an additional 502,472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in Apple Hospitality REIT by 24.7% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,928,229 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $29,579,000 after buying an additional 381,860 shares during the last quarter. 89.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Apple Hospitality REIT from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Bank of America lowered shares of Apple Hospitality REIT from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $19.00 to $18.00 in a research note on Monday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $18.40.

Apple Hospitality REIT Price Performance

APLE opened at $14.99 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.22 and a beta of 1.08. Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $14.22 and a fifty-two week high of $17.90. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $16.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $16.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Apple Hospitality REIT Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.40%. Apple Hospitality REIT’s payout ratio is currently 123.08%.

About Apple Hospitality REIT

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.