Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) Given Average Recommendation of “Buy” by Brokerages

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) has been given an average rating of “Buy” by the six analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $15.50.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on FBRT. B. Riley raised shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $16.00 price target for the company.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Price Performance

FBRT stock opened at $12.88 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $12.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $12.93. Franklin BSP Realty Trust has a 12-month low of $11.96 and a 12-month high of $14.11. The company has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a PE ratio of 15.70 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a current ratio of 90.45, a quick ratio of 90.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.67.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.355 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.03%. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 173.17%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Franklin BSP Realty Trust

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 42.9% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,623 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 787 shares in the last quarter. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the fourth quarter worth approximately $58,000. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 51.6% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,664 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 1,588 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $168,000. Finally, Longboard Asset Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the 4th quarter valued at $174,000. 59.87% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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).