Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) Sets New 12-Month Low – Here’s Why

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT)’s share price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $8.19 and last traded at $8.2050, with a volume of 179206 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.42.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on FBRT. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Citigroup restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Citizens Jmp cut their price target on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.50.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $648.46 million, a P/E ratio of 16.52 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.74, a quick ratio of 90.06 and a current ratio of 90.06. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $8.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.38.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.22 by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $74.38 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $73.09 million. Franklin BSP Realty Trust had a net margin of 24.26% and a return on equity of 6.46%. Sell-side analysts expect that Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. will post 0.72 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 Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is 156.86%.

Insider Activity at Franklin BSP Realty Trust

In other news, Director Buford H. Ortale bought 29,597 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $9.85 per share, with a total value of $291,530.45. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 28,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $284,665. This represents a -4,246.34% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 39,303 shares of the company’s stock worth $502,000 after purchasing an additional 1,378 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 1st quarter valued at $89,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 153,474 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,955,000 after purchasing an additional 4,391 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the second quarter worth $363,000. Finally, Cresset Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 92.6% during the second quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 20,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $222,000 after buying an additional 9,680 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 59.87% of the company’s stock.

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.