Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT) Short Interest Down 6.6% in January

Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 19,480,000 shares, a decrease of 6.6% from the January 15th total of 20,860,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,530,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 12.7 days.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Price Performance

Shares of BXMT opened at $20.51 on Wednesday. Blackstone Mortgage Trust has a twelve month low of $16.53 and a twelve month high of $20.73. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $18.30 and a 200 day moving average of $18.41.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust (NYSE:BXMT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.87) by $1.26. Blackstone Mortgage Trust had a positive return on equity of 8.62% and a negative net margin of 11.54%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Blackstone Mortgage Trust will post 1.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. Blackstone Mortgage Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -160.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $18.50 to $19.50 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $20.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $17.50 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.64.

Institutional Trading of Blackstone Mortgage Trust

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 125.7% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,162 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,204 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 1,672.9% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,014 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 2,844 shares during the last quarter. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. bought a new position in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the 4th quarter valued at $56,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC purchased a new position in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in the 3rd quarter worth $63,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.15% of the company’s stock.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Company Profile

Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc, a real estate finance company, originates senior loans collateralized by commercial properties in North America, Europe, and Australia. The company originates and acquires senior floating rate mortgage loans that are secured by a first-priority mortgage on commercial real estate assets.