Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) Hits New 1-Year Low - Here's Why

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $11.83 and last traded at $11.84, with a volume of 437674 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.45.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on FBRT. Jones Trading restated a "buy" rating and set a $15.00 price target on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $16.00 target price for the company. B. Riley raised Franklin BSP Realty Trust to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $15.50.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 90.45 and a current ratio of 84.89. The firm has a market cap of $952.05 million, a PE ratio of 13.95 and a beta of 1.14. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $12.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.88.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $55.95 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $49.28 million. Franklin BSP Realty Trust had a net margin of 45.56% and a return on equity of 8.17%. Sell-side analysts expect that Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.355 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.26%. Franklin BSP Realty Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 171.08%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the first quarter worth about $32,000. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 42.9% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,623 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 787 shares in the last quarter. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the 4th quarter valued at about $58,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 1,683.5% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,637 shares of the company's stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 4,377 shares during the last quarter. 59.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Company Profile

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).