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

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) shares reached a new 52-week low on Tuesday. The company traded as low as $5.90 and last traded at $5.9450, with a volume of 1,006,164 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $6.21.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on FBRT shares. JonesTrading reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $12.00 price objective on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research note on Friday, September 11th. Citizens Jmp restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $11.00 target price on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. BTIG Research downgraded shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 18th. Finally, UBS Group set a $10.00 price target on Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Franklin BSP Realty Trust presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $11.00.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $7.40 and a 200-day moving average of $8.05. The company has a market cap of $499.49 million, a P/E ratio of 9.98 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a current ratio of 96.80, a quick ratio of 96.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.01. Franklin BSP Realty Trust had a return on equity of 5.82% and a net margin of 20.49%. The company had revenue of $66.47 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $80.98 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. will post 0.73 EPS for the current year.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 13th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 13.3%. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 181.82%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FBRT. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 last quarter. KBC Group NV purchased a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the first quarter valued at $47,000. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the 1st quarter valued at $88,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 15.5% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 11,054 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after acquiring an additional 1,480 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Engineers Gate Manager LP bought a new stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at $103,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 59.87% of the company’s stock.

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.