Strs Ohio Makes New $650,000 Investment in Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. $BXMT

Key Points

• Strs Ohio has made a new investment of approximately $650,000 in Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc., acquiring 32,500 shares during the first quarter.
• Institutional investors own 64.15% of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, with notable increases in holdings from firms like Millennium Management, Nuveen Asset Management, and ProShare Advisors.
• The company has recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.47 per share, with an annualized basis yield of 9.7%, despite a substantially negative dividend payout ratio.

Strs Ohio bought a new position in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 32,500 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $650,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 473.3% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 625,060 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $10,882,000 after acquiring an additional 516,023 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 813,466 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $14,162,000 after buying an additional 17,570 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 44.4% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 52,316 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $911,000 after acquiring an additional 16,091 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 11.9% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 532,395 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $9,269,000 after acquiring an additional 56,621 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 41.2% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 40,881 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $712,000 after purchasing an additional 11,927 shares during the last quarter. 64.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Stock Performance

Shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust stock opened at $19.33 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $3.32 billion, a P/E ratio of -276.14 and a beta of 1.16. The stock's fifty day moving average is $19.30 and its 200 day moving average is $19.29. Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. has a one year low of $16.51 and a one year high of $21.24.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.7%. Blackstone Mortgage Trust's dividend payout ratio is presently -2,685.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $19.50 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $20.00 to $19.50 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Blackstone Mortgage Trust currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $19.50.

Insider Activity at Blackstone Mortgage Trust

In other Blackstone Mortgage Trust news, CEO Katharine A. Keenan sold 4,593 shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.49, for a total value of $89,517.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 230,006 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,482,816.94. This trade represents a 1.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,818 shares of company stock worth $171,190. 1.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.

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