Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) Short Interest Up 7.0% in December

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,830,000 shares, an increase of 7.0% from the December 15th total of 1,710,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 357,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.1 days. Currently, 2.3% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Franklin BSP Realty Trust

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 13.6% in the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 32,561 shares of the company’s stock valued at $410,000 after acquiring an additional 3,886 shares during the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 91.8% during the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 30,597 shares of the company’s stock valued at $387,000 after buying an additional 14,641 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 16.8% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 26,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $340,000 after acquiring an additional 3,873 shares during the last quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 55.6% during the 2nd quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 700,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,820,000 after purchasing an additional 250,000 shares during the period. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 35.2% in the 2nd quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 175,698 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,214,000 after purchasing an additional 45,698 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 59.87% of the company’s stock.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of FBRT stock traded up $0.11 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $12.65. 419,196 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 427,209. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.67, a quick ratio of 90.45 and a current ratio of 90.45. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $12.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.98. The company has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.43 and a beta of 1.39. Franklin BSP Realty Trust has a fifty-two week low of $11.96 and a fifty-two week high of $14.11.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.355 per share. This represents a $1.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.22%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 173.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott assumed coverage on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $16.00 target price on the stock. B. Riley upgraded shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Franklin BSP Realty Trust currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $15.50.

About Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Benefit Street Partners operates as a self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT). BSP earns income from investing in a leveraged portfolio of residential mortgage pass-through securities consisting almost exclusively of adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) securities issued and guaranteed by government-sponsored enterprises, either Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) or Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (together, the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs)), or by an agency of the federal government, Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae).