Short Interest in Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) Expands By 40.8%

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 4,883,041 shares, a growth of 40.8% from the February 12th total of 3,468,949 shares. Approximately 6.1% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,389,320 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.5 days. Based on an average trading volume of 1,389,320 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.5 days. Approximately 6.1% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of FBRT stock opened at $8.91 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 70.78, a current ratio of 70.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $721.04 million, a P/E ratio of 13.91 and a beta of 0.99. Franklin BSP Realty Trust has a twelve month low of $8.42 and a twelve month high of $13.33. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $9.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $10.33.

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 given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 221.88%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 72.2% in the 4th 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 period. XTX Topco Ltd grew its position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 276.6% in the 4th quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 127,042 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,274,000 after purchasing an additional 93,310 shares in the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL bought a new stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 4th quarter valued at $135,000. Polymer Capital Management US LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the fourth quarter worth $372,000. Finally, Guggenheim Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $260,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 59.87% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.