Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) Director Buford Ortale Buys 10,000 Shares

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) Director Buford Ortale bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $20.00 per share, with a total value of $200,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 15,900 shares in the company, valued at $318,000. This represents a 169.49% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Stock Performance

Shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust stock opened at $8.43 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.74, a current ratio of 90.06 and a quick ratio of 90.06. The firm has a market cap of $648.46 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.52 and a beta of 0.92. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $8.75 and its 200-day moving average is $9.38. Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. has a one year low of $8.12 and a one year high of $11.84.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by ($0.13). The business had revenue of $74.38 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $73.09 million. Franklin BSP Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.46% and a net margin of 24.26%. Equities analysts predict that Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. will post 0.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 156.86%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 65,059.1% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 71,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $719,000 after acquiring an additional 71,565 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 4th quarter worth $1,012,000. Gabelli Funds LLC lifted its position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 24.7% during the third quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 467,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,077,000 after purchasing an additional 92,500 shares during the period. Orchard Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Orchard Capital Management LLC now owns 158,590 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,722,000 after buying an additional 4,762 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 242,382 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,632,000 after acquiring an additional 4,217 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 59.87% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Citizens Jmp reduced 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 report on Thursday, April 16th. Zacks Research cut shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Three 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.com, Franklin BSP Realty Trust presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.50.

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.