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Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. Announces a 29% Increase in Operating Earnings per Share and a $0.40 per Share Quarterly Dividend

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Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (the "Company") (NYSE: ARI) reported Operating Earnings (as defined below) of $0.40 per share, or $7,086, for the three months ended June 30, 2011. This represents an increase of 29% as compared with Operating Earnings for the same period in 2010 of $0.31 per share, or $3,304. Net income available to common stockholders for the three months ended June 30, 2011 was $0.37 per share, or $6,520, as compared with $0.27 per share, or $2,935, for the same period in 2010.

The Company also announced that its Board of Directors declared a dividend of $0.40 per share of common stock which is payable on October 12, 2011 to common stockholders of record on September 30, 2011.

Operating Earnings is a non-GAAP financial measure that is used to approximate cash available for distribution and is defined by the Company as net income, computed in accordance with GAAP, adjusted for (i) non-cash equity compensation expense and (ii) any unrealized gains or losses or other non-cash items included in net income. Table 1, provided below, reconciles Operating Earnings per share to net income per share available to common stockholders. (All currency amounts discussed herein are in thousands, except share and per share amounts. All per share information is presented on a diluted basis.)

Business Highlights

  • 29% year-over-year increase in Operating Earnings
  • Dividend yield in excess of 10%
  • Approximately $50,000 of capital raised during July 2011 at $16.66 per share
  • Over $70,000 of capital deployed since April 2011

Stuart Rothstein, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, commented, "We were pleased with the execution of the Company's July offering. The investors, two affiliated U.S. insurance companies, were known to our management team by virtue of being subsidiaries of a portfolio company of an Apollo fund and separate accounts. We were able to rapidly deploy capital from this offering into an attractively priced investment that we anticipate being accretive to our earnings."

Second Quarter Investment Activity
Repurchase Agreement - During April 2011, the Company funded an additional $6,021 of its $47,439 repurchase facility, bringing the total balance outstanding to $47,439.

Subordinate Loan - During April 2011, the Company closed a $40,000 subordinate loan. The subordinated loan is part of a $245,000 newly originated financing that consists of $170,000 of senior financing and a total of $75,000 of subordinate financing, all of which is secured by a ski resort in California, which is one of the most visited ski resorts in the United States.

The subordinate loan bears interest at a rate of 13.25% and has a term of six years. Prepayments on the subordinate loan are prohibited prior to the third year of the loan and any prepayments prior to the fifth year of the loan are subject to prepayment penalties ranging from 5% to 1%. The entire $245,000 financing represents an appraised loan-to-value of approximately 64% and a debt yield of 17.1% based on trailing twelve month financials.

Commercial Mortgage Loan - During April 2011, the Company's $8,800 commercial mortgage loan secured by a multifamily property in Los Angeles, California was repaid.

Quarter End Portfolio Summary
The following table sets forth certain information regarding the Company's investments at June 30, 2011:

                     Adjusted Weighted             Cost   Equity   Weighted
                     Purchase  Average              of      at     Average
    Description       Price     Yield      Debt   Funds    cost     IRR *
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
AAA CMBS - financed
 with TALF
 borrowings         $ 335,962      4.7% $ 280,225   2.8% $ 55,737      13.4%
AAA CMBS - financed
 with Wells
 Facility             267,313      3.6%   232,857   2.2%   34,456      11.6%
Total first
 mortgages            109,354      8.3%    69,014   3.2%   40,340      17.8%
Total subordinate
 loans                 98,966     13.1%         -   0.0%   98,966      14.1%
Total repurchase
 agreements            47,438     13.0%         -   0.0%   47,438      13.7%
                    --------------------------------------------------------
Total               $ 859,033      6.2% $ 582,096   2.6% $276,937      14.1%
                    ========================================================

* The IRRs for the investments shown in the above table reflect the returns underwritten by ACREFI Management, LLC, the Company's external manager, calculated on a weighted average basis assuming no extensions, dispositions, early prepayments or defaults and include the fully hedged cost of borrowings under the Wells Facility. We have also assumed that the cost of financing each investment will remain constant over the life of the investment. There can be no assurance that the actual IRRs will equal the underwritten IRRs shown in the table. See "Risk Factors" in the reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a discussion of some of the factors that could adversely impact the returns received by the Company from the investments shown in the table over time.

The Company's GAAP book value per share at June 30, 2011 was $16.66. For purposes of accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"), the Company carries loans at amortized cost and its CMBS securities are marked to market. Management has estimated that the fair value of the Company's financial assets at June 30, 2011 was approximately $13,600 in excess of the carrying value of the Company's investment portfolio as of the same date, which represents a premium of $0.77 per share over the Company's GAAP book value as of June 30, 2011, and results in a market value per share of approximately $17.43 per share.

Activity Subsequent to June 30, 2011
Private Offering of Common Stock - On July 26, 2011, the Company sold an aggregate of 3,000,000 shares of common stock at a price of $16.66 per share in a private offering. The shares were first sold to an initial purchaser who purchased the shares for resale to certain institutional investors and included a selling commission of $0.33 per share, resulting in net proceeds to the Company before offering expenses of $16.33 per share. The offering price is equal to the June 30, 2011 basic book value per share of the Company of $16.66 per share and represented a premium of approximately 4.65% over the closing price of $15.92 as of July 25, 2011. The offering closed on July 29, 2011, and generated gross proceeds of approximately $50,000 and net proceeds before offering expenses of approximately $48,980. Upon the close of the offering, the Company's total outstanding share count was 20,561,032.

Subordinate Loan - During August 2011, the Company closed a $25,000 junior mezzanine loan secured by a pledge of the equity interests in the borrower that owns three recently opened hotels in New York, New York. The mezzanine loan is part of a $400,000, five-year financing package split into a $270,000 first mortgage loan, $105,000 senior mezzanine loan and $25,000 junior mezzanine loan. The mezzanine loan is an interest-only floating rate loan that bears interest at LIBOR +10.49%, with a 1% LIBOR floor. The appraised loan-to-value for the mezzanine loan is estimated to be approximately 60% as of June 2011.

Reconciliation of Operating Earnings Per Share to Net Income Available to Common Stockholders Per Share (Table 1)

The table below reconciles Operating Earnings with net income available to common stockholders for the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010:



                    Three Months   Earnings Per   Three Months  Earnings Per
                   Ended June 30,     Share      Ended June 30,    Share
                        2011         (Diluted)        2010        (Diluted)
                   ---------------------------------------------------------
Operating
 earnings:
Net income         $        6,520  $       0.37  $        2,935 $       0.27
Adjustments:
  Unrealized gain
   on securities           (1,366)        (0.08)              -            -
  Unrealized loss
   on derivative
   instruments              1,548          0.09               -            -
  Non-cash stock-
   based
   compensation
   expense                    384          0.02             369         0.03
                   ---------------------------------------------------------
Total adjustments:            566          0.03             369         0.03
                   ---------------------------------------------------------
Operating earnings $        7,086  $       0.40  $        3,304 $       0.31
                   =========================================================

Basic weighted average common
 shares outstanding                  17,561,032                   10,668,780
Diluted weighted average common
 shares outstanding                  17,684,991                   10,770,864


Teleconference Details:
The Company will be hosting a conference call to discuss its financial results on Friday, August 5, 2011 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Members of the public who are interested in participating in the Company's second quarter earnings teleconference call should dial from the U.S., (877) 263-2989, or from outside the U.S., (702) 928-7168, shortly before 8:30 a.m. and reference the Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. Teleconference Call (number 87027896). Please note that the teleconference call will be available for replay beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, August 5, 2011, and ending at midnight on Friday, August 12, 2011. To access the replay, callers from the U.S. should dial (855) 859-2056 and callers from outside the U.S. should dial (404) 537-3406, and enter conference identification number 87027896.

Webcast:
The conference call will also be available on the Company's website at www.apolloreit.com. To listen to a live broadcast, go to the site at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time in order to register, download and install any necessary audio software. A replay of the call will also be available for 30 days on the Company's website.

About Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc.
Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE: ARI) is a commercial real estate finance company that originates, invests in, acquires and manages senior performing commercial real estate mortgage loans, commercial mortgage-backed securities, and other commercial real estate-related debt investments in the U.S. The Company is externally managed and advised by ACREFI Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, an indirect subsidiary of Apollo Global Management, LLC. Additional information can be found on the Company's website at www.apolloreit.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided by the same. Forward-looking statements are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are generally beyond the Company's control. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of the Company's business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, plans and objectives. When used in this release, the words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "continue," "intend," "should," "may" or similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Statements regarding the following subjects, among others, may be forward-looking: the return on equity; the yield on investments; the ability to borrow to finance assets; and risks associated with investing in real estate assets, including changes in business conditions and the general economy. For a further list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see the reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements, and other risks, uncertainties and factors are based on the Company's beliefs, assumptions and expectations of its future performance, taking into account all information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking statements are not predictions of future events. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.


        Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. and Subsidiaries
              Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)
              (in thousands - except share and per share data)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          June 30, 2011    December 31, 2010
                                        ------------------------------------
Assets:
  Cash and cash equivalents             $          24,481  $          37,894
  Securities available-for-sale, at
   estimated fair value                           338,804            363,660
  Securities at estimated fair value              266,939            279,124
  Commercial mortgage loans, held for
   investment                                     109,354            109,695
  Subordinate loans, held for
   investment                                      98,966             58,985
  Repurchase agreements, held for
   investment                                      47,439                  -
  Principal and interest receivable                 7,429              5,553
  Deferred financing costs, net                     2,097              2,818
  Derivative instruments, net                           -                387
  Other assets                                         24                 31
                                        ------------------------------------
Total Assets                            $         895,533  $         858,147
                                        ====================================

Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity
Liabilities:
  TALF borrowings                       $         280,225  $         297,334
  Borrowings under repurchase
   agreements                                     301,871            242,728
  Derivative instruments, net                         702                  -
  Accounts payable and accrued expenses             1,927              2,375
  Payable to related party                          1,101                683
  Dividends payable                                 7,169              7,189
  Deferred underwriting fee ($8,000 of
   which is payable to the Manager)                10,000             10,000
                                        ------------------------------------
Total Liabilities                                 602,995            560,309

Commitments and Contingencies

Stockholders' Equity:
  Common stock, $0.01 par value,
   450,000,000 shares authorized,
   17,561,032 and 17,551,828 shares
   issued and outstanding in 2011 and
   2010, respectively                                 176                175
  Additional paid-in-capital                      289,520            291,304
  Accumulated other comprehensive
   income                                           2,842              6,359
                                        ------------------------------------
Total Stockholders' Equity                        292,538            297,838
                                        ------------------------------------
Total Liabilities and Stockholders'
 Equity                                 $         895,533  $         858,147
                                        ====================================


        Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. and Subsidiaries
         Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations (Unaudited)
              (in thousands - except share and per share data)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                      Three months ended
                                                            June 30,
                                                       2011         2010
                                                   -------------------------
Net interest income:
  Interest income from securities                  $     6,448  $     4,114
  Interest income from commercial mortgage loans         2,297        1,801
  Interest income from subordinate loans                 3,167        1,795
  Interest income from repurchase agreements             1,552            -
  Interest expense                                      (3,781)      (2,654)
                                                   -------------------------
Net interest income                                      9,683        5,056

Operating expenses:
General and administrative expenses (includes $384
 and $369 of non-cash stock based compensation in
 2011 and 2010, respectively)                           (1,412)      (1,390)
Management fees to related party                        (1,101)        (733)
                                                   -------------------------
Total operating expenses                                (2,513)      (2,123)
Interest income from cash balances                           3            2
Unrealized gain on securities                            1,366            -
Loss on derivative instruments (includes $1,548 of
 unrealized losses)                                     (2,019)           -
Net income                                         $     6,520  $     2,935
                                                   =========================

Basic net income per share of common stock         $      0.37  $      0.28
                                                   =========================
Diluted net income per share of common stock       $      0.37  $      0.27
                                                   =========================

Basic weighted average common shares outstanding    17,561,032   10,668,780
Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding  17,684,991   10,770,864

Dividend declared per share of common stock        $      0.40  $      0.35



 
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