Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) Reaches New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) shares reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday. The stock traded as low as $6.03 and last traded at $6.0550, with a volume of 654,409 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $6.17.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. BTIG Research downgraded shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Zacks Research raised shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. JonesTrading reissued a “buy” rating and set a $12.00 price target on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research note on Friday, September 11th. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Citizens Jmp restated 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 analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $11.00.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $499.49 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.67 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $7.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $8.15. The company has a current ratio of 96.80, a quick ratio of 96.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47.

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

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 13th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 13.3%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 30th. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is 181.82%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Engineers Gate Manager LP acquired a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $103,000. Concorde Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 10.5% during the 2nd quarter. Concorde Asset Management LLC now owns 16,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,000 after acquiring an additional 1,600 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the second quarter valued at approximately $564,000. Waverly Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 85.2% in the second quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 55,515 shares of the company’s stock valued at $452,000 after purchasing an additional 25,535 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ipsen Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the first quarter worth $88,000. Institutional investors own 59.87% of the company’s stock.

About Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE: FBRT) is a real estate investment trust focused primarily on commercial real estate finance. The company originates, acquires and manages a portfolio of commercial real estate debt investments, with an emphasis on senior mortgage loans secured by properties such as multifamily, office, industrial, retail and hospitality assets.

In addition to senior mortgage loans, Franklin BSP Realty Trust may invest in subordinate and mezzanine loans, preferred equity, commercial mortgage-backed securities and other commercial real estate-related investments.