Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the five brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $11.50.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on FBRT shares. JonesTrading reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $12.00 price target on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings upgraded Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $11.00 target price on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Buford Ortale bought 29,597 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was bought at an average price of $9.85 per share, for a total transaction of $291,530.45. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 28,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $284,665. This trade represents a -4,246.34% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FBRT. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 39,303 shares of the company’s stock worth $502,000 after buying an additional 1,378 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the first quarter worth $89,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 2.9% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 153,474 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,955,000 after acquiring an additional 4,391 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the second quarter worth $363,000. Finally, Cresset Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 92.6% in the second quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 20,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $222,000 after purchasing an additional 9,680 shares during the last quarter. 59.87% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Stock Up 2.0%

FBRT stock opened at $7.83 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $8.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $8.49. Franklin BSP Realty Trust has a fifty-two week low of $7.34 and a fifty-two week high of $11.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47, a quick ratio of 96.80 and a current ratio of 96.80. The company has a market cap of $650.62 million, a P/E ratio of 17.81 and a beta of 0.93.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $65.29 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $80.98 million. On average, research analysts expect that Franklin BSP Realty Trust will post 0.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 13th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s payout ratio is currently 181.82%.

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.