86,200 Shares in Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT) Bought by Louisiana State Employees Retirement System

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 86,200 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $1,833,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BXMT. Central Bank & Trust Co. bought a new position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the first quarter worth about $36,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC bought a new position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the third quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Sandy Spring Bank lifted its holdings in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 10,652.0% during the fourth quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 2,688 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 2,663 shares in the last quarter. 64.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on BXMT shares. BTIG Research reduced their target price on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $19.00 to $18.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Bank of America lowered Blackstone Mortgage Trust from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $22.00 to $21.00 in a report on Monday, March 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $21.00 to $20.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $21.50 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $20.83.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Price Performance

Shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust stock opened at $18.33 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.00 and a beta of 1.42. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $19.57 and its 200-day moving average is $20.68. Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. has a one year low of $16.83 and a one year high of $23.82.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 28th were issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 13.53%. Blackstone Mortgage Trust’s payout ratio is presently 175.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Katharine A. Keenan sold 2,275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.25, for a total transaction of $46,068.75. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 192,023 shares in the company, valued at $3,888,465.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Katharine A. Keenan sold 2,275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.25, for a total transaction of $46,068.75. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 192,023 shares in the company, valued at $3,888,465.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Katharine A. Keenan sold 2,274 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.42, for a total value of $46,435.08. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 194,298 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,967,565.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 5,540 shares of company stock worth $112,642. Corporate insiders own 1.02% of the company’s stock.

About Blackstone Mortgage Trust

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.