Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the six brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $21.1250.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on BXMT shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a research note on Monday, December 29th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $23.00 target price on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $21.00 to $21.50 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of BXMT opened at $19.20 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.54 and a beta of 1.06. Blackstone Mortgage Trust has a fifty-two week low of $16.51 and a fifty-two week high of $21.24. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $19.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.20.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. Blackstone Mortgage Trust’s dividend payout ratio is 289.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Blackstone Mortgage Trust news, President Fernando Austin Pena sold 3,131 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.24, for a total value of $60,240.44. Following the transaction, the president directly owned 78,633 shares in the company, valued at $1,512,898.92. This represents a 3.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 4,543 shares of company stock valued at $88,910 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Blackstone Mortgage Trust

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 45.5% in the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,715 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 536 shares during the period. North Capital Inc. acquired a new position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 151.1% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,172 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 1,307 shares during the last quarter. 64.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Blackstone Mortgage Trust

Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc (NYSE: BXMT) is a publicly traded real estate finance company that originates, acquires and manages commercial mortgage loans and other CRE debt investments. As an externally managed real estate investment trust (REIT), it seeks to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns through the deployment of senior floating-rate and fixed-rate loans backed by income-producing properties.

The firm’s core business activities span the origination of senior mortgage loans, the acquisition of loan portfolios and other real estate debt instruments, and the active management of those investments.