Franklin BSP Realty Trust Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:FBRT)

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders bought 15,001 call options on the company. This is an increase of 65,122% compared to the typical volume of 23 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FBRT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. JonesTrading dropped their price objective on Franklin BSP Realty Trust from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $13.50.

Institutional Trading of Franklin BSP Realty Trust

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CWM LLC increased its position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 126.7% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,428 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,357 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. purchased a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC bought a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust in the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. 59.87% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE FBRT opened at $8.88 on Wednesday. Franklin BSP Realty Trust has a 52-week low of $8.42 and a 52-week high of $13.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $724.53 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.87 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $10.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $10.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 67.81 and a current ratio of 70.78.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.0%. Franklin BSP Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently 221.88%.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Company Profile

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc (NYSE: FBRT) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust sponsored by an affiliate of Franklin Square Capital Partners. The company focuses on acquiring, owning and managing single-tenant net leased commercial properties across the United States. Its portfolio spans retail, office, industrial and other property types, with leases structured to shift most property‐level responsibilities—such as maintenance, property taxes and insurance—to the tenants.

By concentrating on net lease investments, Franklin BSP Realty Trust aims to generate stable and predictable rental income streams.