Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) Hits New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday. The stock traded as low as $6.11 and last traded at $6.1810, with a volume of 1716125 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $6.27.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FBRT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group set a $10.00 price objective on Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $11.00 price objective on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Zacks Research raised shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. JonesTrading reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $12.00 target price on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a report on Friday, September 11th. Finally, BTIG Research cut shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $11.00.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $7.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $8.22. The company has a market cap of $508.62 million, a PE ratio of 13.92 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 96.80, a current ratio of 96.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $66.47 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $80.98 million. Franklin BSP Realty Trust had a return on equity of 5.82% and a net margin of 20.49%. As a group, research analysts predict that Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. will post 0.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 13th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 13.1%. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 181.82%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FBRT. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 96.3% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 5,471 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 2,684 shares during the period. KBC Group NV purchased a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the first quarter worth about $47,000. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $88,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 15.5% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 11,054 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 1,480 shares during the period. Finally, Engineers Gate Manager LP purchased a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the second quarter valued at $103,000. 59.87% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Company Profile

Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE: FBRT) is a real estate investment trust focused primarily on commercial real estate finance. The company originates, acquires and manages a portfolio of commercial real estate debt investments, with an emphasis on senior mortgage loans secured by properties such as multifamily, office, industrial, retail and hospitality assets.

In addition to senior mortgage loans, Franklin BSP Realty Trust may invest in subordinate and mezzanine loans, preferred equity, commercial mortgage-backed securities and other commercial real estate-related investments.