Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Short interest fell by 17.5% in February to 8,341,638 shares (about 5.0% of shares outstanding), with a short-interest ratio of 7.1 days as of Feb. 27.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.47 (annualized $1.88) for a 10.0% yield
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Hold" with an average price target of $21.13; BXMT recently traded near $18.84, with a market cap of about $3.18 billion and a 52-week range of $16.51–$21.24.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT - Get Free Report) saw a large drop in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 8,341,638 shares, a drop of 17.5% from the February 12th total of 10,107,725 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,176,506 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 7.1 days. Currently, 5.0% of the shares of the company are short sold. Currently, 5.0% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,176,506 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 7.1 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on BXMT shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a report on Monday, December 29th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $23.00 price objective on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on 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 target price on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $21.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at Blackstone Mortgage Trust

In other news, President Fernando Austin Pena sold 3,131 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.24, for a total transaction of $60,240.44. Following the transaction, the president directly owned 78,633 shares in the company, valued at $1,512,898.92. The trade was a 3.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,543 shares of company stock worth $88,910. 1.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Blackstone Mortgage Trust

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BXMT. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings 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 in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 7.1% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 570,233 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $11,405,000 after buying an additional 37,838 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 5.0% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 73,679 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,474,000 after acquiring an additional 3,478 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 13,335.2% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 38,559 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $742,000 after acquiring an additional 38,272 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey grew its stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 2.2% in the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 37,761 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $727,000 after acquiring an additional 796 shares in the last quarter. 64.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Stock Performance

Shares of BXMT stock traded up $0.28 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $18.84. 1,253,090 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,374,122. Blackstone Mortgage Trust has a 52 week low of $16.51 and a 52 week high of $21.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.98 and a beta of 1.06. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $19.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.18.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.0%. Blackstone Mortgage Trust's dividend payout ratio is presently 289.23%.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Company Profile

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.

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