Short Interest in Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) Increases By 7.0%

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,830,000 shares, an increase of 7.0% from the December 31st total of 1,710,000 shares. Currently, 2.3% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 357,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.1 days.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Trading Up 0.6 %

FBRT stock traded up $0.08 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $12.70. The company had a trading volume of 62,221 shares, compared to its average volume of 369,038. The company has a current ratio of 90.45, a quick ratio of 90.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.67. Franklin BSP Realty Trust has a one year low of $11.96 and a one year high of $14.11. The business has a 50-day moving average of $12.72 and a 200-day moving average of $12.96. The stock has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a PE ratio of 15.48 and a beta of 1.39.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.355 dividend. This represents a $1.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s payout ratio is 173.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott started coverage on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $16.00 price objective on the stock. B. Riley raised shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $15.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Franklin BSP Realty Trust

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FBRT. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 42.9% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,623 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 787 shares during the last quarter. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the 4th quarter worth approximately $58,000. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 51.6% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,664 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 1,588 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the third quarter worth $168,000. Finally, Longboard Asset Management LP bought a new position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the fourth quarter worth $174,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 59.87% of the company’s stock.

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).