First Trust Advisors LP Sells 837,988 Shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT)

First Trust Advisors LP cut its position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT - Free Report) by 92.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 71,270 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 837,988 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP's holdings in Blackstone Mortgage Trust were worth $1,241,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tidal Investments LLC bought a new stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the third quarter worth about $883,000. Diversify Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the 4th quarter worth approximately $172,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC increased its stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 9.6% in the fourth quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 13,737 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $244,000 after acquiring an additional 1,208 shares during the last quarter. True North Advisors LLC raised its position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 2.4% during 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 purchasing an additional 558 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted 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 worth $132,000 after purchasing an additional 2,145 shares during the last quarter. 64.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Blackstone Mortgage Trust

In related news, Director Henry N. Nassau purchased 10,000 shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $18.90 per share, for a total transaction of $189,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Katharine A. Keenan sold 2,323 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.70, for a total transaction of $48,086.10. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 248,487 shares in the company, valued at $5,143,680.90. This represents a 0.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 5,652 shares of company stock worth $116,971. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of BXMT stock traded down $0.06 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $18.95. 1,697,705 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,736,468. The stock has a market cap of $3.25 billion, a PE ratio of -16.20 and a beta of 1.12. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $19.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.88. Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. has a 12 month low of $16.51 and a 12 month high of $21.24.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust (NYSE:BXMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.87) by $1.26. Blackstone Mortgage Trust had a positive return on equity of 8.62% and a negative net margin of 11.54%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. will post 1.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.92%. Blackstone Mortgage Trust's payout ratio is -408.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on BXMT shares. UBS Group lowered their price target on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $19.50 to $18.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $20.00 to $18.50 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $20.50 to $20.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $20.25.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Profile

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.