Nuveen Asset Management LLC Boosts Stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 813,466 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 17,570 shares during the quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned about 0.47% of Blackstone Mortgage Trust worth $14,162,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 125.7% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,162 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 1,204 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank grew 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 buying an additional 2,844 shares in the last quarter. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. purchased a new position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $56,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 814.9% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 5,471 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 4,873 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $102,000. 64.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on BXMT shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $19.50 price target (up previously from $19.00) on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $20.00 to $18.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $20.50 to $20.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $20.50.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE BXMT opened at $18.73 on Monday. Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. has a 1-year low of $16.51 and a 1-year high of $21.24. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $19.04 and a 200-day moving average of $18.94. The firm has a market cap of $3.21 billion, a PE ratio of -16.01 and a beta of 1.12.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.04%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. Blackstone Mortgage Trust’s payout ratio is -408.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Blackstone Mortgage Trust

In other Blackstone Mortgage Trust news, Director Henry N. Nassau purchased 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $18.90 per share, with a total value of $189,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 182,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,457,679.40. This trade represents a 5.78% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Katharine A. Keenan sold 2,315 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.70, for a total value of $47,920.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 246,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,095,760.40. The trade was a 0.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 5,652 shares of company stock valued at $116,971 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.02% of the company’s stock.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust 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.