Apple Hospitality REIT (NYSE:APLE) Lowered to Sell Rating by StockNews.com

Apple Hospitality REIT (NYSE:APLE) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report issued on Thursday.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on APLE. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Apple Hospitality REIT from $16.00 to $15.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 13th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $18.00 target price (up from $17.00) on shares of Apple Hospitality REIT in a research report on Friday, November 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $16.50.

Apple Hospitality REIT Stock Performance

Apple Hospitality REIT stock opened at $15.50 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 0.04 and a quick ratio of 0.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.23 and a beta of 1.11. Apple Hospitality REIT has a 1-year low of $13.60 and a 1-year high of $17.90. The company’s 50-day moving average is $15.01 and its 200 day moving average is $14.66.

Apple Hospitality REIT (NYSE:APLE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($0.22). Apple Hospitality REIT had a return on equity of 6.17% and a net margin of 14.53%. The business had revenue of $378.84 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $377.56 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.45 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Apple Hospitality REIT will post 1.6 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apple Hospitality REIT

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT by 196.2% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 28,322 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $464,000 after acquiring an additional 18,760 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in Apple Hospitality REIT by 16.9% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 187,613 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,073,000 after purchasing an additional 27,076 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Apple Hospitality REIT by 7.4% in the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 43,425 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $711,000 after purchasing an additional 2,991 shares in the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT during the first quarter valued at about $338,000. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of Apple Hospitality REIT by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 63,506 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $986,000 after buying an additional 1,050 shares in the last quarter. 89.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.