Strong Tower Advisory Services Decreases Stock Holdings in Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. $FBRT

Key Points

• Strong Tower Advisory Services cut its stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 94.8% in Q4, selling 1,367,181 shares and leaving it with 75,547 shares (about 0.09% of the company) valued at $758,000.
• Franklin BSP declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 (annualized $0.80), which yields 9.2% but carries a reported payout ratio of 125%, indicating the dividend may be unsustainably high.
• Multiple plaintiffs’ firms have issued alerts and Rosen Law Firm filed an initial securities class action—highlighting litigation risk with an April 27, 2026 deadline for potential lead plaintiffs with losses over $100,000.

Strong Tower Advisory Services trimmed its stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT - Free Report) by 94.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 75,547 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,367,181 shares during the period. Strong Tower Advisory Services owned approximately 0.09% of Franklin BSP Realty Trust worth $758,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the third quarter valued at $45,000. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the second quarter valued at $47,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 39.5% during 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. CWM LLC increased its position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 164.4% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,420 shares of the company's stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 3,992 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 50.0% during the third quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 7,500 shares of the company's stock valued at $81,000 after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares during the last quarter. 59.87% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of FBRT stock opened at $8.67 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 70.78, a quick ratio of 70.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.33. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $9.96. The stock has a market cap of $702.25 million, a P/E ratio of 13.55 and a beta of 0.96. Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. has a 12 month low of $8.24 and a 12 month high of $11.86.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.2%. Franklin BSP Realty Trust's dividend payout ratio is presently 125.00%.

Key Headlines Impacting Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Here are the key news stories impacting Franklin BSP Realty Trust this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Rosen Law Firm filed the initial securities class action and is soliciting lead plaintiffs for purchases of FBRT between Nov. 5, 2024 and Feb. 11, 2026; Rosen is emphasizing an April 27, 2026 deadline for investors with losses over $100K, raising potential litigation exposure. Rosen Deadline Notice Rosen Newsfile Local Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Several other national plaintiffs’ firms (Faruqi & Faruqi, Pomerantz, Bragar Eagel & Squire, The Gross Law Firm, Rosen (additional notices), Law Offices of Howard G., and Frank R. Cruz) have issued alerts urging FBRT investors to contact them and to consider seeking lead‑plaintiff status — intensifying competition among plaintiffs’ firms and signaling broader investor interest in litigation against the company. This cluster of notices highlights sustained legal scrutiny and potential future settlement or defense costs. Faruqi Notice Pomerantz Notice Bragar Alert Gross Firm Alert Howard G. Notice Frank R. Cruz Notice

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. JonesTrading reduced their price objective on Franklin BSP Realty Trust from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Zacks Research upgraded Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $13.50.

About Franklin BSP Realty Trust

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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