Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) Short Interest Update

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) saw a large drop in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,130,000 shares, a drop of 6.2% from the August 15th total of 2,270,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 344,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.2 days. Approximately 2.6% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Stock Performance

Shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust stock traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $13.47. 33,329 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 331,755. Franklin BSP Realty Trust has a one year low of $11.99 and a one year high of $14.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.24 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 89.36, a current ratio of 89.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.54. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $13.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.93.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.355 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $1.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.54%. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 107.58%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FBRT. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 15.4% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 16,828 shares of the company’s stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 2,250 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 670,299 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,056,000 after acquiring an additional 11,998 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 41.5% during the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 73,530 shares of the company’s stock worth $993,000 after acquiring an additional 21,557 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the fourth quarter worth approximately $644,000. Finally, SageView Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 79.8% in the fourth quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC now owns 20,768 shares of the company’s stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 9,218 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 59.87% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FBRT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $16.00 target price on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research report on Friday, July 19th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $15.00 target price on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research report on Thursday, June 27th.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Company Profile

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).