Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT) Shares Purchased by Blackstone Inc.

Blackstone Inc. grew its position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT - Free Report) by 8.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,601,492 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 652,537 shares during the quarter. Blackstone Mortgage Trust accounts for 0.7% of Blackstone Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Blackstone Inc. owned approximately 4.97% of Blackstone Mortgage Trust worth $149,752,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BXMT has been the topic of several analyst reports. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a report on Thursday, May 1st. 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Blackstone Mortgage Trust has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $20.25.

Insider Transactions at Blackstone Mortgage Trust

In related news, Director Henry N. Nassau bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $18.90 per share, for a total transaction of $189,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 182,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,457,679.40. This represents a 5.78 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Katharine A. Keenan sold 2,315 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 246,172 shares in the company, valued at $5,095,760.40. This trade represents a 0.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 5,652 shares of company stock valued at $116,971. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Stock Down 0.3 %

NYSE:BXMT traded down $0.06 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $18.95. The stock had a trading volume of 1,697,705 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,736,468. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $19.26 and a 200 day moving average of $18.88. The company has a market capitalization of $3.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.20 and a beta of 1.12. Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. has a one year low of $16.51 and a one year high of $21.24.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust (NYSE:BXMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.87) by $1.26. Blackstone Mortgage Trust had a positive return on equity of 8.62% and a negative net margin of 11.54%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. will post 1.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.92%. Blackstone Mortgage Trust's dividend payout ratio is currently -408.70%.

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.