UBS Group AG Has $29.75 Million Holdings in Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. $BXMT

Key Points

• UBS Group AG cut its Blackstone Mortgage Trust stake by 49.5% in the fourth quarter, but still held 1.56 million shares valued at about $29.75 million.
• Blackstone Mortgage Trust recently paid a quarterly dividend of $0.47 per share, equal to an annualized yield of 9.8%, though its payout ratio is very high at 308.2%.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: Zacks downgraded BXMT to hold, while the overall consensus remains Moderate Buy with an average price target of $21.13.

UBS Group AG cut its holdings in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT - Free Report) by 49.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,555,062 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 1,526,943 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned 0.93% of Blackstone Mortgage Trust worth $29,748,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BXMT. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 45.5% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,715 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 536 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 570,233 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $11,405,000 after purchasing an additional 37,838 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 73,679 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,474,000 after purchasing an additional 3,478 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 28.1% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 630,752 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $12,142,000 after purchasing an additional 138,469 shares during the period. Finally, Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at about $226,000. 64.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Blackstone Mortgage Trust

In related news, President Fernando Austin Pena sold 1,666 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.88, for a total transaction of $31,454.08. Following the completion of the sale, the president directly owned 76,967 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,453,136.96. This represents a 2.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.02% of the company's stock.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Price Performance

Shares of BXMT stock opened at $19.14 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $3.23 billion, a PE ratio of 31.38 and a beta of 0.92. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $19.27 and a 200-day moving average of $19.27. Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. has a one year low of $17.67 and a one year high of $20.67.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. Blackstone Mortgage Trust's dividend payout ratio is presently 308.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on BXMT. Zacks Research cut Blackstone Mortgage Trust from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $23.00 price target on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $21.00 to $21.50 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Blackstone Mortgage Trust currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $21.13.

About Blackstone Mortgage Trust

Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc NYSE: BXMT is a publicly traded real estate finance company that originates, acquires and manages commercial mortgage loans and other CRE debt investments. As an externally managed real estate investment trust (REIT), it seeks to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns through the deployment of senior floating-rate and fixed-rate loans backed by income-producing properties.

The firm's core business activities span the origination of senior mortgage loans, the acquisition of loan portfolios and other real estate debt instruments, and the active management of those investments.

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