Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.36

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT - Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, June 12th, Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be given a dividend of 0.355 per share on Thursday, July 10th. This represents a $1.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 13.12%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust has a dividend payout ratio of 103.6% meaning the company cannot currently cover its dividend with earnings alone and is relying on its balance sheet to cover its dividend payments. Equities analysts expect Franklin BSP Realty Trust to earn $1.49 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.42 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 95.3%.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Stock Performance

Franklin BSP Realty Trust stock traded down $0.28 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $10.82. 649,824 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 406,335. Franklin BSP Realty Trust has a 52 week low of $10.50 and a 52 week high of $14.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 90.45 and a current ratio of 84.89. The firm has a market cap of $889.57 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.04 and a beta of 1.05. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $11.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.29.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the first quarter worth approximately $89,000. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 3.6% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 39,303 shares of the company's stock valued at $502,000 after buying an additional 1,378 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 2.9% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 153,474 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,955,000 after buying an additional 4,391 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 59.87% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FBRT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JMP Securities reiterated a "market outperform" rating and set a $15.00 price target on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Citigroup restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Jones Trading reduced their price objective on Franklin BSP Realty Trust from $15.00 to $14.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Franklin BSP Realty Trust presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $15.30.

About Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Benefit Street Partners operates as a self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT). BSP earns income from investing in a leveraged portfolio of residential mortgage pass-through securities consisting almost exclusively of adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) securities issued and guaranteed by government-sponsored enterprises, either Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) or Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (together, the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs)), or by an agency of the federal government, Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae).