Q Global Advisors LLC Buys 96,723 Shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. $FBRT

Q Global Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) by 32.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 398,078 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 96,723 shares during the period. Franklin BSP Realty Trust comprises about 3.0% of Q Global Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Q Global Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.52% of Franklin BSP Realty Trust worth $3,380,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Arlington Trust Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Assetmark Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 96.3% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 5,471 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 2,684 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 59.87% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Citizens Jmp restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $11.00 target price on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Zacks Research raised shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Finally, 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $11.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Buford H. Ortale acquired 29,597 shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $9.85 per share, for a total transaction of $291,530.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 28,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $284,665. This represents a -4,246.34% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Stock Performance

NYSE FBRT opened at $7.80 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 90.06, a current ratio of 90.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.74. Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. has a twelve month low of $7.57 and a twelve month high of $11.84. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $8.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $8.94. The firm has a market cap of $600.67 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.30 and a beta of 0.92.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.22 by ($0.13). Franklin BSP Realty Trust had a net margin of 24.26% and a return on equity of 6.46%. The business had revenue of $74.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $73.09 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. will post 0.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.