BTIG Research Downgrades Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) to Neutral

Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) was downgraded by BTIG Research from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report issued on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. JonesTrading reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $12.00 price objective on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a report on Friday, September 11th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Zacks Research raised Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $11.00 price objective on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.50.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Stock Down 1.5%

FBRT opened at $7.62 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $8.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $8.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47, a quick ratio of 96.80 and a current ratio of 96.80. Franklin BSP Realty Trust has a twelve month low of $7.34 and a twelve month high of $11.43. The firm has a market cap of $632.39 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.31 and a beta of 0.93.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $66.47 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $80.98 million. Franklin BSP Realty Trust had a net margin of 20.49% and a return on equity of 5.82%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Franklin BSP Realty Trust will post 0.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Independent Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 1st quarter worth $1,117,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 64.3% in the 1st quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 188,917 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,604,000 after buying an additional 73,955 shares during the period. Q Global Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 32.1% in 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. KBC Group NV bought a new stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the first quarter worth $47,000. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 25.0% during the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 126,193 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,071,000 after acquiring an additional 25,262 shares during the last quarter. 59.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE: FBRT) is a real estate investment trust focused on commercial real estate finance. The company originates, acquires and manages a portfolio of commercial real estate debt investments, with an emphasis on floating-rate mortgage loans secured by institutional-quality properties.

Its investment activities may include senior mortgage loans, subordinate and mezzanine loans, bridge loans, preferred equity investments and other commercial real estate-related credit investments.