Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Inc (ARI) Q1 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Loan …

• Distributable Earnings: $33 million or $0.24 per share.

• GAAP Net Income: $23 million or $0.16 per diluted share.

• Loan Portfolio Carrying Value: $7.7 billion at quarter end.

• Loan Originations: $650 million in new commitments and $73 million in add-on funding.

• Loan Repayments: $93 million during the quarter.

• Weighted Average Yield: 7.9% on the loan portfolio.

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 3.5 times at quarter end.

• Total Liquidity: $218 million.

• Book Value Per Share: $12.66, excluding general CECL allowance and depreciation.

Release Date: April 25, 2025

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

• Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Inc (NYSE:ARI) committed to $650 million of new loans in Q1, with a strong focus on residential properties and data centers.

• The company completed an additional four transactions totaling over $700 million post-quarter end, bringing year-to-date volume to $1.5 billion.

• ARI’s loan portfolio grew to $7.7 billion, up from $7.1 billion at year-end, with a weighted average yield of 7.9%.

• The company successfully reduced its net exposure on the 111 West 57th Street project by $29 million due to strong sales momentum.

• ARI has a robust presence in the European market, supported by a dedicated team in London, which provides a competitive advantage in sourcing and managing assets.

• Q1 earnings were slightly below the current quarterly dividend rate, covering only 96% of the dividends.

• The general CECL allowance increased by $4 million, reflecting a cautious stance on the macroeconomic outlook.

• There is increased capital markets volatility and recessionary fears, which could impact the real estate market.

• The company faces potential risks in the hospitality sector if a recession occurs, due to the quick movement of cash flows in this asset class.

• The balance of the 111 West 57th Street project increased from $390 million at year-end to $403 million due to additional costs.

Q: Can you provide an update on the specific CECL tied to 111 West 57th and Liberty Center? A: Stuart Rothstein, CEO, explained that the specific CECL is primarily tied to these two assets. They expect to sell the Liberty Center asset later this year and are confident in its valuation. Sales momentum at 111 West 57th is positive, and they anticipate more capital coming through resolutions by the end of the year.

Q: How is the current market volatility affecting loan repayments and new money deployment? A: Stuart Rothstein noted that the market remains robust, with credit market volatility being more muted than in equity markets. They do not anticipate a slowdown in transactions. The main concern is whether a potential recession would be shallow or prolonged, but currently, the need to deploy capital outweighs recession fears.