Franklin BSP Realty Trust Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:FBRT)

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock investors bought 15,001 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 65,122% compared to the average volume of 23 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 126.7% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,428 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,357 shares during the period. Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Assetmark Inc. bought a new position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 59.87% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on FBRT. Zacks Research raised Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. JonesTrading lowered their price objective on Franklin BSP Realty Trust from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Franklin BSP Realty Trust has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $13.50.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Stock Down 2.2%

NYSE:FBRT opened at $8.68 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 67.81 and a current ratio of 70.78. The company has a market capitalization of $708.62 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.57 and a beta of 0.98. Franklin BSP Realty Trust has a one year low of $8.42 and a one year high of $13.58. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $10.56.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s payout ratio is 221.88%.

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.