Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) Hits New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $7.33 and last traded at $7.3650, with a volume of 136922 shares. The stock had previously closed at $7.46.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on FBRT. Citizens Jmp reiterated 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 Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. JonesTrading reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $12.00 price target on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research note on Friday, September 11th. UBS Group set a $10.00 price target on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a report on Wednesday. Finally, BTIG Research lowered shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $11.00.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $608.30 million, a P/E ratio of 16.63 and a beta of 0.93. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $7.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $8.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47, a quick ratio of 96.80 and a current ratio of 96.80.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $66.47 million for 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%. On average, analysts forecast that Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. will post 0.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 13th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.9%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 30th. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s payout ratio is 181.82%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 634,387 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,386,000 after acquiring an additional 27,746 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC grew its holdings in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 12.9% in the first quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 556,252 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,723,000 after purchasing an additional 63,752 shares during the period. Q Global Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 32.1% in the first quarter. Q Global Advisors LLC now owns 398,078 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,380,000 after purchasing an additional 96,723 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 1.9% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 396,404 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,365,000 after purchasing an additional 7,466 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 64.3% during the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 188,917 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,604,000 after purchasing an additional 73,955 shares in the last quarter. 59.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Company Profile

Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE: FBRT) is a real estate investment trust focused on commercial real estate finance. The company originates, acquires and manages a portfolio of commercial real estate debt investments, with an emphasis on floating-rate mortgage loans secured by institutional-quality properties.

Its investment activities may include senior mortgage loans, subordinate and mezzanine loans, bridge loans, preferred equity investments and other commercial real estate-related credit investments.