Anyone interested in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI) should probably be aware that the Independent Director, Scott Prince, recently divested US$403k worth of shares in the company, at an average price of US$10.07 each. That sale was 49% of their holding, so it does make us raise an eyebrow.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent sale by Scott Prince was the biggest sale of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. So it's clear an insider wanted to take some cash off the table, even slightly below the current price of US$10.20. We generally consider it a negative if insiders have been selling, especially if they did so below the current price, because it implies that they considered a lower price to be reasonable. While insider selling is not a positive sign, we can't be sure if it does mean insiders think the shares are fully valued, so it's only a weak sign. It is worth noting that this sale was only 49% of Scott Prince's holding.

In the last year Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance insiders didn't buy any company stock. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

If you like to buy stocks that insiders are buying, rather than selling, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: Most of them are flying under the radar).

Insider Ownership Of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Insiders own 0.7% of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance shares, worth about US$9.4m, according to our data. We do note, however, it is possible insiders have an indirect interest through a private company or other corporate structure. Whilst better than nothing, we're not overly impressed by these holdings.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Insiders?

An insider sold Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance shares recently, but they didn't buy any. And even if we look at the last year, we didn't see any purchases. When you combine this with the relatively low insider ownership, we are very cautious about the stock. So we'd only buy after very careful consideration. While it's good to be aware of what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. To that end, you should learn about the 4 warning signs we've spotted with Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (including 1 which shouldn't be ignored).

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.