Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) Given Market Outperform Rating at JMP Securities

JMP Securities reaffirmed their market outperform rating on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) in a report published on Thursday, Benzinga reports. JMP Securities currently has a $15.00 price target on the stock.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on FBRT. Raymond James upgraded Franklin BSP Realty Trust from an outperform rating to a strong-buy rating and set a $15.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, April 12th. BTIG Research reduced their price target on Franklin BSP Realty Trust from $15.00 to $14.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 17th.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Stock Performance

Franklin BSP Realty Trust stock opened at $12.60 on Thursday. Franklin BSP Realty Trust has a 12-month low of $11.99 and a 12-month high of $14.70. The company has a quick ratio of 88.39, a current ratio of 88.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $12.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $13.02. The stock has a market cap of $1.03 billion, a PE ratio of 9.55 and a beta of 1.44.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by ($0.01). Franklin BSP Realty Trust had a net margin of 53.82% and a return on equity of 14.32%. The business had revenue of $53.95 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $54.64 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.44 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Franklin BSP Realty Trust will post 1.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 10th. Investors of record on Friday, June 28th will be paid a $0.355 dividend. This represents a $1.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.27%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 28th. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 107.58%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 374.2% in the first quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,205 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 1,740 shares during the period. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the first quarter worth approximately $46,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the first quarter worth approximately $136,000. Beacon Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 15.3% in the fourth quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 11,607 shares of the company’s stock worth $154,000 after acquiring an additional 1,537 shares during the period. Finally, Tyche Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the fourth quarter worth approximately $162,000. 59.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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).