Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Purchases 50,000 Shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT)

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT - Free Report) by 13.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 425,000 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 50,000 shares during the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. owned 0.25% of Blackstone Mortgage Trust worth $7,399,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $172,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC raised its stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 13,737 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $244,000 after buying an additional 1,208 shares in the last quarter. True North Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. True North Advisors LLC now owns 23,993 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $418,000 after buying an additional 558 shares during the period. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 39.3% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 7,601 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $132,000 after buying an additional 2,145 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GFS Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. GFS Advisors LLC now owns 511,180 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $8,900,000 after acquiring an additional 52,750 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.15% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on BXMT shares. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $19.50 target price (up from $19.00) on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $20.50 to $20.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $20.00 to $18.50 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $20.50.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Price Performance

Blackstone Mortgage Trust stock traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $18.73. The company's stock had a trading volume of 983,281 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,706,253. Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. has a 1-year low of $16.51 and a 1-year high of $21.24. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $19.04 and a two-hundred 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were given a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. Blackstone Mortgage Trust's payout ratio is currently -408.70%.

Insider Activity at Blackstone Mortgage Trust

In other news, Director Henry N. Nassau purchased 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $18.90 per share, with a total value of $189,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 182,946 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,457,679.40. This trade represents a 5.78% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Katharine A. Keenan sold 2,315 shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.70, for a total transaction of $47,920.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 246,172 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,095,760.40. This trade represents a 0.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 5,652 shares of company stock valued at $116,971 over the last quarter. 1.02% of the stock is 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.