Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the five analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $11.50.

Several brokerages have issued reports on FBRT. Weiss Ratings downgraded Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Citizens Jmp lowered their price target on Franklin BSP Realty Trust from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Citigroup restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Trading Down 1.5%

NYSE FBRT opened at $8.13 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.69 and a 200 day simple moving average of $9.27. The company has a market capitalization of $625.32 million, a PE ratio of 15.93 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 90.06, a quick ratio of 90.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.74. Franklin BSP Realty Trust has a 12 month low of $7.98 and a 12 month high of $11.84.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.22 by ($0.13). Franklin BSP Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.46% and a net margin of 24.26%.The business had revenue of $74.38 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $73.09 million. Research analysts forecast that Franklin BSP Realty Trust will post 0.72 EPS for the current year.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.8%. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 156.86%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Buford H. Ortale acquired 29,597 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 acquisition, the director owned 28,900 shares in the company, valued at $284,665. This represents a -4,246.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Assetmark Inc. bought a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC bought a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 96.3% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 5,471 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 2,684 shares in the last quarter. 59.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Franklin BSP Realty Trust

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.