Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT) Sets New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT)’s share price hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $9.78 and last traded at $9.8150, with a volume of 460826 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.90.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Jones Trading reduced their target price on Franklin BSP Realty Trust from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $14.67.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 81.24, a quick ratio of 81.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21. The company has a market capitalization of $801.79 million, a PE ratio of 12.27 and a beta of 1.00. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $10.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.90.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th were given a $0.355 dividend. This represents a $1.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 14.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 30th. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 177.50%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 126.7% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,428 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,357 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the first quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 59.87% of the company’s stock.

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).