Ares Commercial: High Safety Margin
Ares Commercial faces headwinds from loan losses and office market overexposure, resulting in two dividend cuts in three years. ACRE trades at a steep 50% discount to book value, reflecting investor skepticism about its distributable earnings and portfolio quality. The REIT has shrunk its office loan portfolio by 46% since Q1'23 but still underearns its dividend, with an 80% coverage ratio in Q1'26.