Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) Director Buys $291,530.45 in Stock

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) Director Buford Ortale acquired 29,597 shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $9.85 per share, for a total transaction of $291,530.45. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 28,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $284,665. This represents a -4,246.34% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Stock Down 2.7%

Shares of NYSE:FBRT traded down $0.23 on Wednesday, hitting $8.20. 1,521,951 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 968,694. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.74, a quick ratio of 90.06 and a current ratio of 90.06. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $8.75 and its 200 day moving average is $9.39. The company has a market capitalization of $630.69 million, a PE ratio of 16.07 and a beta of 0.92. Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. has a 1-year low of $8.12 and a 1-year high of $11.84.

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

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a $0.20 dividend. 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 156.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FBRT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Citizens Jmp dropped their price target on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. JonesTrading decreased their price objective on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Franklin BSP Realty Trust currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $11.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 1st quarter valued at about $88,000. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 50.6% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 125,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,061,000 after buying an additional 41,992 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 162.1% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 43,029 shares of the company’s stock valued at $365,000 after buying an additional 26,611 shares during the period. Q Global Advisors LLC increased its stake in 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 valued at $3,380,000 after buying an additional 96,723 shares during the period. Finally, Waverly Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 1st quarter valued at about $255,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.