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

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) shares reached a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $8.10 and last traded at $8.1050, with a volume of 628098 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $8.24.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on FBRT shares. Citizens Jmp decreased their price target on Franklin BSP Realty Trust from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Zacks Research downgraded Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.50.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Stock Down 0.2%

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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $8.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $9.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $633.00 million, a PE ratio of 16.13 and a beta of 0.92.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $74.38 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $73.09 million. Analysts forecast that Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. will post 0.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently 156.86%.

Insider Transactions at Franklin BSP Realty Trust

In other Franklin BSP Realty Trust news, Director Buford H. Ortale acquired 29,597 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $9.85 per share, with a total value of $291,530.45. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 28,900 shares in the company, valued at $284,665. This represents a -4,246.34% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Assetmark Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC bought a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the third quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 96.3% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 5,471 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 2,684 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.