Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT) Position Boosted by Cetera Investment Advisers

Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT - Free Report) by 375.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 124,037 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 97,939 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers owned 0.07% of Blackstone Mortgage Trust worth $2,159,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in BXMT. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP bought a new position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the fourth quarter worth $4,952,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted 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 purchasing an additional 8,500 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the fourth quarter worth $35,662,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the fourth quarter worth $1,326,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 838,973 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $14,607,000 after purchasing an additional 20,487 shares during the last quarter. 64.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BXMT traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $18.73. 983,281 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,706,253. Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. has a 52 week low of $16.51 and a 52 week high of $21.24. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $19.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $18.94. The company has a market cap of $3.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.01 and a beta of 1.12.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.04%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. Blackstone Mortgage Trust's dividend payout ratio is currently -408.70%.

Insider Activity at Blackstone Mortgage Trust

In related 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 246,172 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,095,760.40. This trade represents a 0.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Henry N. Nassau purchased 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $18.90 per share, for a total transaction of $189,000.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 182,946 shares in the company, valued at $3,457,679.40. This represents a 5.78% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 5,652 shares of company stock worth $116,971 over the last ninety days. 1.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BXMT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $20.50 to $20.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $20.00 to $18.50 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $19.50 target price (up from $19.00) on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a research note on Wednesday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $20.50.

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.