Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) Stock: Insider Buford Ortale Buys 1,046 Shares

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) Director Buford Ortale acquired 1,046 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 3rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $17.25 per share, for a total transaction of $18,043.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $55,079.25. This trade represents a 48.72% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Stock Performance

Shares of FBRT stock traded up $0.25 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $6.44. 1,023,227 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,281,403. The firm has a market capitalization of $487.09 million, a P/E ratio of -80.45 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.60, a quick ratio of 83.00 and a current ratio of 83.00. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $7.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $8.32. Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. has a 52 week low of $5.90 and a 52 week high of $10.82.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The company reported ($0.02) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.25 by ($0.27). The company had revenue of $22.11 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $72.54 million. Franklin BSP Realty Trust had a net margin of 6.38% and a return on equity of 4.30%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. will post 0.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 13th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.4%. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -1,000.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on FBRT. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. JonesTrading reissued a “buy” rating and set a $12.00 target price on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a report on Friday, September 11th. B. Riley Financial reduced their target price on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from $13.00 to $10.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. 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. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Franklin BSP Realty Trust presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $10.75.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ethic Inc. acquired a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the third quarter valued at about $80,000. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the third quarter worth about $54,000. Apollon Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the third quarter worth about $92,000. Simplicity Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the third quarter worth about $68,000. Finally, Engineers Gate Manager LP acquired a new stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the second quarter worth about $103,000. 59.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Company Profile

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 diversified portfolio of commercial real estate debt investments, with an emphasis on loans secured by properties in the United States.

Its investment activities primarily include senior mortgage loans, subordinate and mezzanine loans, preferred equity investments and other debt-related instruments. The portfolio is designed to provide financing to owners and operators of commercial properties across sectors such as multifamily, office, industrial, retail, hospitality and other specialty real estate.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust was formerly known as Benefit Street Partners Realty Trust and operates under the Franklin BSP platform.