Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT) Short Interest Up 41.8% in February

Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 10,107,725 shares, an increase of 41.8% from the January 29th total of 7,126,301 shares. Currently, 6.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,738,284 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.8 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,738,284 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.8 days. Currently, 6.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Blackstone Mortgage Trust news, President Fernando Austin Pena sold 3,131 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.24, for a total transaction of $60,240.44. Following the transaction, the president directly owned 78,633 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,512,898.92. This represents a 3.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders have sold a total of 4,543 shares of company stock worth $88,910 over the last quarter. 1.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the fourth quarter valued at about $82,000. Sankala Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the 4th quarter worth about $562,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the 4th quarter worth approximately $293,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 25.7% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,354,870 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $25,919,000 after purchasing an additional 277,280 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 44,904 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $886,000 after buying an additional 2,462 shares during the period. 64.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE BXMT traded down $0.31 on Tuesday, reaching $19.34. 1,023,079 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,362,693. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.26 billion, a PE ratio of 29.75 and a beta of 1.06. Blackstone Mortgage Trust has a fifty-two week low of $16.51 and a fifty-two week high of $21.24. The company has a 50 day moving average of $19.46 and a 200 day moving average of $19.19.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.7%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. Blackstone Mortgage Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 289.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BXMT has been the topic of several recent research reports. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $23.00 price target on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $21.00 to $21.50 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $21.13.

About Blackstone Mortgage Trust

Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc (NYSE: BXMT) is a publicly traded real estate finance company that originates, acquires and manages commercial mortgage loans and other CRE debt investments. As an externally managed real estate investment trust (REIT), it seeks to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns through the deployment of senior floating-rate and fixed-rate loans backed by income-producing properties.

The firm’s core business activities span the origination of senior mortgage loans, the acquisition of loan portfolios and other real estate debt instruments, and the active management of those investments.