Sterling Capital Management LLC Cuts Stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT)

Sterling Capital Management LLC lessened its position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT - Free Report) by 91.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,630 shares of the company's stock after selling 27,328 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC's holdings in Franklin BSP Realty Trust were worth $33,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FBRT. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the 4th quarter worth about $147,000. Longboard Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 4th quarter valued at about $174,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 4th quarter valued at about $194,000. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 19,728 shares of the company's stock worth $247,000 after buying an additional 1,402 shares during the last quarter. 59.87% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:FBRT traded up $0.03 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $11.66. The company had a trading volume of 528,519 shares, compared to its average volume of 373,193. The company has a market cap of $975.21 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.05 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.42, a current ratio of 84.89 and a quick ratio of 90.45. The company has a fifty day moving average of $12.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.71. Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. has a 12-month low of $10.50 and a 12-month high of $14.12.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.33 by ($0.05). Franklin BSP Realty Trust had a return on equity of 8.17% and a net margin of 45.56%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.355 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.18%. Franklin BSP Realty Trust's payout ratio is 171.08%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FBRT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. B. Riley upgraded shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Jones Trading reissued a "buy" rating and set a $15.00 price objective on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $15.50.

About Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Benefit Street Partners operates as a self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT). BSP earns income from investing in a leveraged portfolio of residential mortgage pass-through securities consisting almost exclusively of adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) securities issued and guaranteed by government-sponsored enterprises, either Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) or Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (together, the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs)), or by an agency of the federal government, Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae).