Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) Sets New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT)’s share price reached a new 52-week low on Friday . The stock traded as low as $8.10 and last traded at $8.1050, with a volume of 628098 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $8.24.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on FBRT. Citigroup restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Citizens Jmp lowered their price objective on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Zacks Research lowered Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $11.50.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average is $8.72 and its 200 day moving average is $9.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $625.30 million, a PE ratio of 15.93 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 90.06, a current ratio of 90.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.74.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $74.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $73.09 million. Franklin BSP Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.46% and a net margin of 24.26%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. will post 0.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 156.86%.

Insider Transactions at Franklin BSP Realty Trust

In other news, Director Buford H. Ortale bought 29,597 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $9.85 per share, for a total transaction of $291,530.45. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 28,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $284,665. This trade represents a -4,246.34% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in FBRT. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the first quarter valued at approximately $88,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 50.6% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 125,027 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,061,000 after acquiring an additional 41,992 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 162.1% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 43,029 shares of the company’s stock worth $365,000 after acquiring an additional 26,611 shares in the last quarter. Q Global Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 32.1% during the 1st quarter. Q Global Advisors LLC now owns 398,078 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,380,000 after purchasing an additional 96,723 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Waverly Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 1st quarter valued at $255,000. Institutional investors own 59.87% of the company’s stock.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Company Profile

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc (NYSE: FBRT) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust sponsored by an affiliate of Franklin Square Capital Partners. The company focuses on acquiring, owning and managing single-tenant net leased commercial properties across the United States. Its portfolio spans retail, office, industrial and other property types, with leases structured to shift most property‐level responsibilities—such as maintenance, property taxes and insurance—to the tenants.

By concentrating on net lease investments, Franklin BSP Realty Trust aims to generate stable and predictable rental income streams.