Independent Financial Group LLC Purchases New Position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. $FBRT

Key Points

• Independent Financial Group LLC initiated a new position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust, buying 131,576 shares valued at about $1.12 million in the first quarter.
• Company director Buford H. Ortale also bought 29,597 shares at $9.85 each, while institutional investors now own 59.87% of the stock.
• Franklin BSP Realty Trust recently reported Q1 earnings of $0.09 per share, missing estimates, and paid a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, implying a 10.1% annualized yield.

Independent Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 131,576 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,117,000. Independent Financial Group LLC owned about 0.17% of Franklin BSP Realty Trust as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 16.6% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 9,574 shares of the company's stock valued at $96,000 after buying an additional 1,366 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 39,303 shares of the company's stock worth $502,000 after acquiring an additional 1,378 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 4.9% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 29,867 shares of the company's stock valued at $319,000 after acquiring an additional 1,391 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 39.5% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,710 shares of the company's stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 1,617 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brookstone Capital Management boosted its stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 15,196 shares of the company's stock valued at $152,000 after acquiring an additional 1,680 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 59.87% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Buford H. Ortale bought 29,597 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $9.85 per share, for a total transaction of $291,530.45. Following the purchase, the director owned 28,900 shares of the company's stock, valued at $284,665. This trade represents a -4,246.34% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Trading Down 3.1%

NYSE FBRT opened at $7.91 on Tuesday. The firm's fifty day moving average is $8.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.00. Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. has a one year low of $7.74 and a one year high of $11.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.74, a quick ratio of 90.06 and a current ratio of 90.06. The firm has a market cap of $608.37 million, a PE ratio of 15.50 and a beta of 0.92.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust (NYSE:FBRT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.22 by ($0.13). Franklin BSP Realty Trust had a return on equity of 6.46% and a net margin of 24.26%.The business had revenue of $74.38 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $73.09 million. Analysts expect that Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. will post 0.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. Franklin BSP Realty Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 156.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on FBRT shares. Citigroup reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Weiss Ratings cut Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Citizens Jmp restated a "market outperform" rating and set a $11.00 price target on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Franklin BSP Realty Trust currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $11.50.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Profile

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc NYSE: FBRT is a publicly traded real estate investment trust sponsored by an affiliate of Franklin Square Capital Partners. The company focuses on acquiring, owning and managing single-tenant net leased commercial properties across the United States. Its portfolio spans retail, office, industrial and other property types, with leases structured to shift most property‐level responsibilities—such as maintenance, property taxes and insurance—to the tenants.

By concentrating on net lease investments, Franklin BSP Realty Trust aims to generate stable and predictable rental income streams.

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