Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) Short Interest Up 26.4% in March

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 6,171,827 shares, an increase of 26.4% from the February 26th total of 4,883,041 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,269,485 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.9 days. Approximately 7.7% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Key Headlines Impacting Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Here are the key news stories impacting Franklin BSP Realty Trust this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Priced an $880.4M managed CRE CLO (BSPRT 2026‑FL13) — 30‑month reinvestment period, initial advance rate ~88.38% and a blended cost of 1M CME Term SOFR + 1.76% (expected settlement April 15, 2026). This transaction boosts liquidity and supports portfolio financing needs. Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. Announces Pricing of an $880.4 Million Managed CRE CLO
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/press piece discussing the company’s outlook after the dividend reset and the lawsuit — provides context and may influence sentiment but is interpretive rather than new corporate action. Why The Franklin BSP Realty Trust (FBRT) Story Is Shifting After Dividend Reset And Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Levi & Korsinsky and other firms: securities class action filed naming three senior executives as individual defendants; claims relate to alleged concealment of dividend sustainability and cover purchases from Nov 5, 2024 to Feb 11, 2026. Executive‑level allegations raise potential liability and reputational risk. FBRT Investor Alert: Securities Fraud Lawsuit (Levi & Korsinsky)
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple national law firms (Rosen, Pomerantz, Faruqi, Gross, Schall, DJS, etc.) are soliciting lead‑plaintiff participation and reminding investors of an April 27, 2026 deadline — the volume of filings/solicitations amplifies headline risk and trading pressure. ROSEN Encourages Franklin BSP Realty Trust Investors to Secure Counsel

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in FBRT. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 0.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,001,039 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,394,000 after buying an additional 12,252 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 72.2% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,829,401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,349,000 after buying an additional 766,875 shares during the last quarter. Strong Tower Advisory Services raised its position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 2.4% in the third quarter. Strong Tower Advisory Services now owns 1,442,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,668,000 after acquiring an additional 34,102 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,256,179 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,599,000 after acquiring an additional 59,424 shares during the period. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,042,207 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,318,000 after acquiring an additional 70,645 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 59.87% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on FBRT shares. Zacks Research raised Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. JonesTrading cut their price objective on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Franklin BSP Realty Trust has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $13.50.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE FBRT traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $8.50. 927,869 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,326,889. The firm has a market capitalization of $687.84 million, a P/E ratio of 10.94 and a beta of 0.99. Franklin BSP Realty Trust has a one year low of $8.24 and a one year high of $12.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 70.78 and a current ratio of 70.78. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $9.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $10.10.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.4%. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 221.88%.

About Franklin BSP Realty Trust

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.