Angel Oak Mortgage REIT, Inc. (NYSE:AOMR) is included among the 14 Best Up and Coming Dividend Stocks to Buy. UBS Adjusts Target on Angel Oak REIT (AOMR) Following Portfolio and Cost Optimizations Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash On November⁠ 18, UBS analyst Dou‌g⁠ Ha⁠rter trimm‍ed h‌is price targ⁠et o⁠n Angel Oak Mortgage REIT, Inc. (NYSE:AOMR) to‌ $9.75⁠ from $10 while maintai‍ni⁠ng a Neutral rating‌, as reported by The Fly. In its Q3 2025 u⁠pdate, Angel Oak Mortgage REIT, Inc. (NYSE:AOMR) noted tha ...

Core Insights - Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD) is recognized for its strong leadership under Barry Sternlicht, who has successfully navigated challenging market conditions [1] - The company reported Q3 earnings with a non-GAAP EPS of $0.40, which was $0.04 below estimates [1] - STWD's revenue for the quarter was $489 million, exceeding estimates by $9.18 million [2] Financial Performance - The company deployed investments totaling $4.6 billion in Q3 and $10.2 billion over the first nine months of the year [2] - Key investment activities included Triple Net Lease Investments worth $2.2 billion, Commercial Lending of $1.4 billion, and Infrastructure Lending reaching a record $0.8 billion [2]

Core Insights - Ready Capital Corporation (NYSE:RC) is currently viewed as a promising penny stock, but recent price target reductions by UBS and Keefe Bruyette indicate caution among analysts [1][2]. Financial Performance - Ready Capital reported a decline in core interest income for Q3 2025, with net interest income falling to $10.5 million due to a reduction in the loan portfolio and negative credit migration [2]. - The total loan portfolio's delinquency rate reached 5.9%, highlighting potential credit risks [2]. Strategic Focus - The company's future strategy discussions emphasize managing debt and addressing limited long-run earnings visibility, which is linked to market access and leverage [3]. Company Overview - Ready Capital operates as a real estate finance company in the US, functioning through two segments: LMM Commercial Real Estate and Small Business Lending [3].

Core Insights - Investors are increasingly turning to dividend-yielding stocks during market turbulence and uncertainty, as these companies typically have high free cash flows and offer substantial dividend payouts [1] Company Summaries Ares Commercial Real Estate Corp (NYSE:ACRE) - Dividend Yield: 12.22% - Analyst Ratings: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analyst Jade Rahmani maintained a Market Perform rating and raised the price target from $4.5 to $4.75 on Nov. 11, 2025, with an accuracy rate of 66% [7] - Recent Performance: Reported better-than-expected third-quarter financial results on Nov. 7 [7] Oaktree Specialty Lending Corp (NASDAQ:OCSL) - Dividend Yield: 11.70% - Analyst Ratings: Wells Fargo analyst Finian O'Shea maintained an Equal-Weight rating and cut the price target from $15 to $14 on April 28, 2025, with an accuracy rate of 63% [7] - Upcoming Events: Scheduled to report fourth fiscal quarter financial results before the opening bell on Nov. 18 [7] Starwood Property Trust Inc (NYSE:STWD) - Dividend Yield: 10.72% - Analyst Ratings: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analyst Jade Rahmani maintained an Outperform rating and cut the price target from $22 to $21 on Nov. 12, 2025, with an accuracy rate of 66% [7] - Recent Performance: Posted mixed quarterly results on Nov. 10 [7]

Financial Performance - GAAP net income was $5 million, or $0.08 per diluted common share[12] - Distributable Earnings were $6 million, or $0.10 per diluted common share[12] - Excluding realized losses of $2 million or $0.03 per diluted common share, Distributable Earnings were $7 million, or $0.13 per diluted common share[12] - Book value was $521 million, or $9.47 per common share ($11.60 per common share excluding CECL reserve)[12] Portfolio & Balance Sheet - The company collected $162 million of repayments in 3Q 2025, bringing the YTD repayments to $498 million[12] - The company reduced office loans by $29 million QoQ to $495 million, a decrease of 6% QoQ and 26% YoY[12] - The company maintained a strong balance sheet with $173 million of available capital as of September 30, 2025, including $88 million of cash[12] - The company's total portfolio is $1.4 billion, comprised of loans held for investment and REO properties[15] CECL Reserve - The CECL reserve is $117 million, representing 9% of outstanding principal balance of loans held for investment[12,45] - 95% of the CECL reserve relates to risk rated 4 and 5 loans[46] - 90% of the CECL reserve relates to office and residential/condo loans[46] Ares Management Overview - Ares Management has approximately $596 billion in assets under management[22] - Ares Real Estate has $109 billion+ in Real Estate AUM[30]

Core Insights - Arbor Realty Trust's third quarter results led to a significant negative market reaction due to missing revenue expectations, attributed to ongoing efforts in resolving legacy nonperforming assets, resulting in increased delinquencies and a temporary reduction in net interest income [7] - CEO Ivan Kaufman described the current period as a "bottom of the cycle," indicating aggressive actions to resolve troubled loans have created short-term earnings volatility [7] - Analysts will monitor the pace of legacy asset resolutions, origination volumes, and credit quality trends in stressed markets in upcoming quarters [8] Financial Performance - The company reported a minor $1 million realized loss from the Homewood asset sale, but it will add a performing loan at a 10% rate [3] - A significant adjustment in net interest income was noted, with a $13 million recurring reduction expected, although improvements are anticipated as troubled loans are resolved [4] - The stock price decreased from $11.57 to $9.48 following the earnings report, raising questions about potential investment opportunities [9] Management Commentary - Insiders continue to buy shares personally, and the company is open to considering share buybacks as capital allows [1] - Management acknowledged that while further delinquencies may occur, resolutions should outweigh new defaults, leading to an improved run rate in future quarters [2] - The stability of the performing loan portfolio was discussed, with potential modifications if assets do not stabilize, particularly in markets like Houston and San Antonio [5]

Core Insights - Ready Capital Corporation reported a GAAP loss per common share from continuing operations of $(0.13) and a distributable loss per common share of $(0.94) for the quarter ended September 30, 2025 [1][22] - The company is focused on restoring financial health through decisive exit strategies for underperforming loans and risk management of upcoming debt maturities, aiming for balance sheet stability and profitability [2] Financial Performance - The company reported LMM commercial real estate originations of $139 million and Small Business Lending loan originations of $283 million, which included $173 million of Small Business Administration 7(a) loans [6] - The book value of common stock was $10.28 per share as of September 30, 2025 [6] - The company completed two portfolio sales consisting of 217 loans with an unpaid principal balance of $758 million for net proceeds of $109 million [6] Non-GAAP Financial Information - Distributable earnings, a non-GAAP measure, is defined as net income adjusted for various unrealized gains and losses, providing greater transparency into financial performance [3][4] - The calculation of distributable earnings excludes unrealized gains and losses on mortgage-backed securities retained as part of the loan origination business, as these are considered fundamental to ongoing performance [5] Income Statement Highlights - For the three months ended September 30, 2025, the company reported net interest income before provision for loan losses of $10,520 thousand, with a net loss from continuing operations of $(16,947) thousand [22][23] - Total non-interest income was $74,914 thousand, while total non-interest expense was $74,339 thousand, resulting in a loss from continuing operations before income taxes of $(26,882) thousand [22][23] Balance Sheet Overview - As of September 30, 2025, total assets were $8,332,101 thousand, with total liabilities of $6,448,542 thousand, resulting in stockholders' equity of $1,875,198 thousand [20][21] - The company had cash and cash equivalents of $147,505 thousand and loans net of $4,360,501 thousand [20]

Core Insights - Ready Capital Corporation reported a GAAP loss per common share from continuing operations of $(0.13) and a distributable loss per common share of $(0.94) for the quarter ended September 30, 2025 [1][22] - The company is focused on restoring financial health through decisive exit strategies for underperforming loans and risk management of upcoming debt maturities, aiming for balance sheet stability and profitability [2] Financial Performance - The company reported LMM commercial real estate originations of $139 million and Small Business Lending loan originations of $283 million, which included $173 million of Small Business Administration 7(a) loans [6] - The book value per share of common stock was $10.28 as of September 30, 2025 [6] - The company completed two portfolio sales consisting of 217 loans with an unpaid principal balance of $758 million for net proceeds of $109 million [6] Non-GAAP Financial Information - Distributable earnings, a non-GAAP financial measure, is defined as net income adjusted for various unrealized gains and losses, realized gains and losses on sales of certain mortgage-backed securities, and other non-cash items [3][4] - The company believes that this non-GAAP measure provides greater transparency into financial and operational decision-making, including dividend determination [4] Income Statement Highlights - For the three months ended September 30, 2025, the company reported interest income of $137.491 million and interest expense of $(126.971) million, resulting in net interest income before provision for loan losses of $10.520 million [21] - The net loss from continuing operations was $(16.947) million, with a net loss attributable to Ready Capital Corporation of $(20.744) million [22] Balance Sheet Overview - As of September 30, 2025, total assets were $8.332 billion, with cash and cash equivalents of $147.505 million and loans, net of $4.361 billion [20] - Total liabilities amounted to $6.449 billion, with secured borrowings of $2.879 billion and corporate debt of $666.624 million [20] Segment Reporting - The LMM Commercial Real Estate segment reported interest income of $105.856 million and a net interest income after provision for loan losses of $(31.680) million [24] - The Small Business Lending segment generated interest income of $31.635 million, with a net interest income after provision for loan losses of $4.223 million [24]

Financial Performance - The company reported a GAAP Net Loss attributable to common stockholders of $0.6 million, or $(0.01) per basic weighted average common share[8, 13] - Distributable Earnings (Loss) was $(18.9) million, or $(0.40) per basic weighted average common share[7, 8] - Distributable Earnings (Loss) Before Realized Gains and Losses was $0.9 million, or $0.02 per basic weighted average common share[8] Portfolio Overview - The total loan portfolio commitments reached $1.8 billion across 44 loan investments[7, 8] - The unpaid principal balance (UPB) of the loan portfolio was $1.7 billion[7, 25] - The weighted average stabilized Loan-to-Value (LTV) at origination was 65.0%[7, 24, 25] - The company held two Real Estate Owned (REO) assets with an aggregate carrying value of $105.5 million[7, 8] - The total CECL reserve was $133.6 million, representing 7.4% of total loan portfolio commitments[7, 8] Capitalization and Liquidity - The company had $62.7 million in unrestricted cash[7, 8, 10] - The Total Leverage Ratio was 1.9x[7, 8]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The loan portfolio principal totaled approximately $400 million as of September 30, 2025, with a weighted average yield to maturity of 16.5%, down from 16.8% in the previous quarter [10] - Net interest income for Q3 2025 was $13.7 million, a decrease of 5.1% from $14.4 million in Q2 2025, primarily due to non-recurring fees and the impact of a 25 basis point rate cut [13][14] - Distributable earnings per weighted average share were approximately $0.50 and $0.49 for basic and fully diluted shares, respectively, a modest decrease from $0.52 and $0.51 in the previous quarter [15] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Gross originations during the quarter were $39.5 million, with $11 million advanced to a new borrower and $20 million related to a new credit facility [10] - The portfolio consisted of 36.7% fixed-rate loans and 63.3% floating-rate loans, with only 14% exposed to further rate declines due to interest rate floors [11] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company noted challenges in private credit markets, including declining interest rates and concerns over underwriting standards, which have led to trading at a discount to book value [6] - The cannabis pipeline currently stands at approximately $441 million, diversified across various growth investments and market activities [7] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company focuses on principal protection and disciplined capital deployment in limited license jurisdictions, supporting fundamentally sound growth initiatives [7] - Management expressed confidence in the cannabis sector and the company's strategy, highlighting a robust platform to meet industry growth [8] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management acknowledged the volatile private credit environment but emphasized consistent execution and performance [5] - The company is optimistic about the cannabis market, particularly in states like Virginia, which is seen as an attractive market for future growth [24] Other Important Information - Total leverage was 33% of book equity as of September 30, down from 39% in the previous quarter [12] - The company expects to maintain a dividend payout ratio of 90% to 100% for the 2025 tax year, with potential special dividends if taxable income requires it [15] Q&A Session Summary Question: Discussion on the pipeline and ESOP opportunities - Management confirmed that ESOPs continue to be a significant part of the pipeline, with no significant exits other than normal turnover [19] Question: Update on maturing loans - Management is negotiating terms to extend maturing loans and expects to retain the majority of them [21] Question: Opportunities in Virginia's cannabis market - Management views Virginia as an attractive market due to its controlled licensure structure and potential for recreational market growth [24] Question: Underwriting approach and success factors - Management highlighted a focus on limited license jurisdictions and operators with diverse earnings streams as key to their underwriting success [28] Question: Lending program update for New York - The New York Social Equity Fund has opted not to draw additional capital, but the company is ready to support future deployments [56]