Alpine Global Management LLC Takes Position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT)

Alpine Global Management LLC acquired a new position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 125,000 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $2,176,000. Alpine Global Management LLC owned about 0.07% of Blackstone Mortgage Trust as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in BXMT. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust in the fourth quarter worth $4,952,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its holdings in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 17.5% during the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 57,051 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $993,000 after acquiring an additional 8,500 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,662,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,326,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 838,973 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $14,607,000 after purchasing an additional 20,487 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.15% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $20.50 to $20.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $19.50 to $18.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $20.00 to $18.50 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Blackstone Mortgage Trust has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $20.25.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BXMT traded up $0.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $18.73. 661,628 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,763,803. The company has a market cap of $3.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.01 and a beta of 1.22. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $19.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $18.85. Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. has a 52 week low of $16.51 and a 52 week high of $21.24.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust (NYSE:BXMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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, sell-side analysts predict that Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. will post 1.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.04%. Blackstone Mortgage Trust's payout ratio is -160.68%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Katharine A. Keenan sold 2,315 shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.70, for a total value of $47,920.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,652 shares of company stock worth $116,971. Insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

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.