UBS Group Has Lowered Expectations for Blackstone Mortgage Trust (NYSE:BXMT) Stock Price

Blackstone Mortgage Trust (NYSE:BXMT) had its price objective reduced by equities research analysts at UBS Group from $19.50 to $18.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock. UBS Group’s price objective would indicate a potential downside of 1.72% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $20.50 to $20.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $20.00 to $18.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.25.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE BXMT opened at $18.32 on Wednesday. Blackstone Mortgage Trust has a 52 week low of $16.51 and a 52 week high of $21.24. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $19.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.82. The firm has a market cap of $3.14 billion, a P/E ratio of -15.65 and a beta of 1.22.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust (NYSE:BXMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.87) by $1.26. Blackstone Mortgage Trust had a negative net margin of 11.54% and a positive return on equity of 8.62%. As a group, research analysts expect that Blackstone Mortgage Trust will post 1.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Katharine A. Keenan sold 2,315 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.70, for a total transaction of $47,920.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 246,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,095,760.40. This represents a 0.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,652 shares of company stock worth $116,971. 0.93% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Blackstone Mortgage Trust

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 125.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,162 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 1,204 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 187.8% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,979 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 1,944 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank increased its position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 1,672.9% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,014 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 2,844 shares during the last quarter. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. purchased a new position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $56,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at about $63,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.