Teacher Retirement System of Texas Takes $481,000 Position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 24,031 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $481,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,952,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,662,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its holdings in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 45.2% during the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 21,109 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $422,000 after buying an additional 6,571 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the 4th quarter worth $1,326,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG lifted its holdings in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 48.9% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 146,450 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,550,000 after buying an additional 48,114 shares in the last quarter. 64.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on BXMT shares. UBS Group upped their price objective on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $19.50 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $19.50 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $20.00 to $18.50 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $20.58.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Price Performance

Shares of BXMT stock traded down $0.23 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $19.23. The company had a trading volume of 1,345,922 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,592,645. The company has a 50 day moving average of $19.35 and a 200 day moving average of $19.14. The firm has a market cap of $3.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -41.80 and a beta of 1.10. Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. has a 1-year low of $16.51 and a 1-year high of $21.24.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. Blackstone Mortgage Trust's payout ratio is presently -408.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Anthony F. Marone, Jr. sold 1,517 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.20, for a total transaction of $29,126.40. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 64,082 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,230,374.40. This trade represents a 2.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Katharine A. Keenan sold 6,931 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.13, for a total value of $132,590.03. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 236,914 shares in the company, valued at $4,532,164.82. The trade was a 2.84% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,248 shares of company stock valued at $177,028. 1.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.