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

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on FBRT. B. Riley upgraded shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $16.00 price target on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Franklin BSP Realty Trust has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $15.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 42.9% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,623 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 787 shares during the last quarter. Fairscale Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the second quarter valued at approximately $41,000. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 51.6% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,664 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 1,588 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $168,000. Finally, Hodges Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at $189,000. Institutional investors own 59.87% of the company’s stock.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE FBRT opened at $12.65 on Tuesday. Franklin BSP Realty Trust has a 12 month low of $11.96 and a 12 month high of $14.11. The company has a current ratio of 90.45, a quick ratio of 90.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.67. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $12.77 and a 200-day moving average of $12.98. The company has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a PE ratio of 15.43 and a beta of 1.39.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.355 dividend. This represents a $1.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 173.17%.

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).