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

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) has earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $15.50.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. B. Riley raised shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Raymond James increased their price objective on Franklin BSP Realty Trust from $15.00 to $15.50 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott started coverage on Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $16.00 target price for the company.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FBRT. Strong Tower Advisory Services lifted its position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. Strong Tower Advisory Services now owns 1,157,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,510,000 after purchasing an additional 101,951 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 22.0% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 136,534 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,784,000 after buying an additional 24,633 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,939,515 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,335,000 after buying an additional 9,428 shares during the last quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 3rd quarter valued at $189,000. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its holdings in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 19,639 shares of the company’s stock worth $256,000 after acquiring an additional 1,381 shares during the last quarter. 59.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust stock opened at $12.55 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.67, a current ratio of 90.45 and a quick ratio of 90.45. Franklin BSP Realty Trust has a 1 year low of $11.96 and a 1 year high of $14.11. The firm has a market cap of $1.03 billion, a PE ratio of 15.30 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $12.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.97.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.355 dividend. This represents a $1.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.32%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 173.17%.

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).