Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT) Shares Acquired by GAMMA Investing LLC

GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT - Free Report) by 5,656.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 59,580 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 58,545 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC's holdings in Blackstone Mortgage Trust were worth $1,192,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 125.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,162 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 1,204 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 1,672.9% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,014 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 2,844 shares during the last quarter. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. purchased a new stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in the fourth quarter valued at $56,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 814.9% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 5,471 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $95,000 after acquiring an additional 4,873 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the fourth quarter valued at $102,000. 64.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $20.00 to $18.50 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $20.50 to $20.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $19.50 price target (up from $19.00) on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Blackstone Mortgage Trust currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $20.50.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Price Performance

BXMT stock traded up $0.31 on Thursday, hitting $19.33. 1,964,516 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,658,505. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -42.03 and a beta of 1.11. Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. has a twelve month low of $16.51 and a twelve month high of $21.24. The business's fifty day moving average is $18.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $18.98.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. Blackstone Mortgage Trust's dividend payout ratio is currently -408.70%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Henry N. Nassau acquired 10,000 shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were bought at an average price of $18.90 per share, for a total transaction of $189,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 182,946 shares in the company, valued at $3,457,679.40. This trade represents a 5.78% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Anthony F. Marone, Jr. sold 1,517 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.20, for a total value of $29,126.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 64,082 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,230,374.40. This represents a 2.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 9,248 shares of company stock valued at $177,028 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.02% of the company's stock.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Company Profile

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.