(CT) - Capital Trust, Inc - estimates for both this year and next have been on the rise over the past 90 days

Capital Trust, Inc. (CT) exceeded analysts’ earnings expectations for five straight quarters and in eight out of the past nine. Earnings per share are projected to grow 10% over the next 3-5 years. On Dec 14, the Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of 75 cents per share, as well as a special cash dividend of 65 cents per share. The quarterly dividend was raised by five cents in mid September. CT is currently yielding 6.3%. Full Analysis Capital Trust, Inc. is a finance and investment management company focused on the commercial real estate industry. The company originates, underwrites, structures, closes and manages real estate-related high-yield debt and other investments. CT is organized as a real estate investment trust (REIT). CT’s history of beating analysts’ earnings expectations is fairly impressive. The company topped the consensus estimate for five consecutive quarters by an average margin 13.9%. Furthermore, CT surprised to the upside in eight out of the past nine quarters. In the one quarter in which the company missed estimates, it did so by only a penny. On Oct 30, CT surprised to the upside by 11.7% when it reported third-quarter earnings per share of 86 cents. The Street was calling for 77 cents per share. Compared to profits of 64 cents per share in the prior-year period, earnings soared 34.4%. CEO John Klopp stated, “New originations topped $550 million, an all-time record, with 50% representing first mortgage and construction loans. Most important, our pipeline of investment opportunities has never been stronger and we are excited about our new initiative in Brazil.” Consensus estimates for both this year and next have been on the rise over the past 90 days. Profit forecasts for this year jumped 15 cents to $3.27, while estimates for next year experienced an 18-cent advance to $3.50 over the same period of time. Earnings per share are projected to grow 10% over the next 3-5 years. On Dec 14, the Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of 75 cents per share, as well as a special cash dividend of 65 cents per share. The company cited that the special dividend was a result of 2006 REIT taxable income in excess of the amount distributed through CT's regular, quarterly dividends. The company is currently yielding 6.3%, with a five-year average dividend yield of 5.3%. CT boosted its quarterly dividend back in mid September by five cents. CT is a Zacks #2 Rank (Buy) stock. Zacks #2 Rank stocks have generated an average annual return of 21.6% since 1988. Because the Zacks Rank has a market cap bias, Growth & Income investors may find a greater number of large-cap stocks by considering both Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) and Zacks #2 Rank (Buy) stocks in their selection criteria. Content Courtesy: Zacks Investment Research #1 Ranked Stocks Highlight Archive To truly take advantage of the Zacks Rank, you need to first understand how it works. That is why we created the free special report: Zacks Rank Guide: Harnessing the Power of Earnings Estimate Revisions. | Blog Home| VitalStocks Home