Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Buys 2,639 Shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT) by 6.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 41,161 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,639 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Blackstone Mortgage Trust were worth $823,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 39.4% in the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,832,587 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $49,315,000 after purchasing an additional 801,083 shares in the last quarter. Blackstone Inc. lifted its position in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Blackstone Inc. now owns 8,601,492 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $149,752,000 after buying an additional 652,537 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 473.3% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 625,060 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $10,882,000 after buying an additional 516,023 shares in the last quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC bought a new position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $8,118,000. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,862,000. 64.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Blackstone Mortgage Trust

In related news, CEO Katharine A. Keenan sold 6,931 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.13, for a total transaction of $132,590.03. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 236,914 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,532,164.82. This represents a 2.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Anthony F. Marone, Jr. sold 1,517 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.20, for a total transaction of $29,126.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 64,082 shares in the company, valued at $1,230,374.40. This trade represents a 2.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,248 shares of company stock valued at $177,028. 1.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of BXMT opened at $18.89 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $19.34 and a 200 day moving average of $19.27. The company has a market cap of $3.24 billion, a PE ratio of -269.79 and a beta of 1.12. Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. has a 52-week low of $16.51 and a 52-week high of $21.24.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.0%. Blackstone Mortgage Trust’s payout ratio is currently -2,685.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BXMT has been the topic of several recent research reports. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $20.00 to $19.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $19.50 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $20.00 to $18.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Blackstone Mortgage Trust has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $20.00.

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.