Independent Financial Group LLC Invests $1.12 Million in Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. $FBRT

Independent Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 131,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,117,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 4.6% in 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 purchasing an additional 27,746 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 396,404 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,365,000 after buying an additional 7,466 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $190,000. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 17,702.1% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 17,268 shares of the company’s stock valued at $147,000 after buying an additional 17,171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Abel Hall LLC grew its holdings in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 65.6% during the first quarter. Abel Hall LLC now owns 41,326 shares of the company’s stock worth $351,000 after acquiring an additional 16,364 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 59.87% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on FBRT. Citizens Jmp reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $11.00 target price on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a report on Monday, July 6th. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $11.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Franklin BSP Realty Trust news, Director Buford H. Ortale acquired 29,597 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $9.85 per share, with a total value of $291,530.45. Following the purchase, the director owned 28,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $284,665. The trade was a -4,246.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Stock Performance

NYSE FBRT opened at $7.91 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $8.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.00. The company has a market capitalization of $608.37 million, a P/E ratio of 15.50 and a beta of 0.92. Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. has a 1-year low of $7.74 and a 1-year high of $11.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.74, a current ratio of 90.06 and a quick ratio of 90.06.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $74.38 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $73.09 million. Sell-side analysts expect that Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. will post 0.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently 156.86%.

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.