First Trust Advisors LP Has $1.24 Million Position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT)

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

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 125.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,162 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 1,204 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank lifted its stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 1,672.9% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,014 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 2,844 shares in the last quarter. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. purchased a new stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in the fourth quarter worth approximately $56,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 814.9% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 5,471 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 4,873 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 114.4% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 7,003 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $122,000 after purchasing an additional 3,736 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.15% of the company's stock.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE BXMT traded up $0.16 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $19.81. 172,842 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,696,188. The firm has a market cap of $3.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.93 and a beta of 1.12. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $19.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.89. Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $16.51 and a fifty-two week high of $21.24.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust (NYSE:BXMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.87) by $1.26. Blackstone Mortgage Trust had a negative net margin of 11.54% and a positive return on equity of 8.62%. Analysts anticipate that Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. will post 1.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.49%. Blackstone Mortgage Trust's payout ratio is -408.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on BXMT shares. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a report on Thursday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective 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. UBS Group cut their price objective 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Blackstone Mortgage Trust currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $20.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Blackstone Mortgage Trust news, Director Henry N. Nassau bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $18.90 per share, with a total value of $189,000.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 182,946 shares in the company, valued at $3,457,679.40. This trade represents a 5.78% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Katharine A. Keenan sold 2,315 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.70, for a total value of $47,920.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 246,172 shares of the company's stock, 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. In the last three months, insiders sold 5,652 shares of company stock valued at $116,971. 0.93% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.