Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) Sets New 1-Year Low – What’s Next?

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $7.54 and last traded at $7.5250, with a volume of 180426 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $7.75.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on FBRT. Citizens Jmp restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $11.00 price objective on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a report on Monday, July 6th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $11.50.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Price Performance

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 company has a market cap of $576.82 million, a PE ratio of 14.72 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $8.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $8.91.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.22 by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $74.38 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $73.09 million. Franklin BSP Realty Trust had a net margin of 24.26% and a return on equity of 6.46%. Sell-side analysts expect 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 company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.7%. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 156.86%.

Insider Activity at Franklin BSP Realty Trust

In other news, Director Buford H. Ortale bought 29,597 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $9.85 per share, for a total transaction of $291,530.45. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 28,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $284,665. This trade represents a -4,246.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Eagle Point Credit Management LLC purchased a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the 4th quarter valued at about $8,381,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 72.2% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,829,401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,349,000 after acquiring an additional 766,875 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the second quarter worth about $4,237,000. UBS Group AG increased its position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 24.0% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 873,047 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,481,000 after acquiring an additional 168,993 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Independent Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the first quarter worth about $1,117,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 59.87% of the company’s stock.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Company Profile

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.