Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FBRT) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 29th, there was short interest totalling 2,830,000 shares, a growth of 6.0% from the February 14th total of 2,670,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 340,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 8.3 days. Approximately 3.5% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. JMP Securities raised Franklin BSP Realty Trust from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $15.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. Jonestrading cut their price target on Franklin BSP Realty Trust from $16.00 to $15.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 16th.

Franklin BSP Realty Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSE FBRT traded down $0.20 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $13.06. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 240,675 shares, compared to its average volume of 329,149. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.07 billion, a PE ratio of 9.26 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.15, a current ratio of 83.74 and a quick ratio of 83.74. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $12.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $13.23. Franklin BSP Realty Trust has a 52 week low of $11.08 and a 52 week high of $14.70.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Franklin BSP Realty Trust

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 70.0% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,881 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 1,186 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 1st quarter worth approximately $40,000. Captrust Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $68,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank bought a new stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $74,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 280.4% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 6,041 shares of the company’s stock worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 4,453 shares during the last quarter. 59.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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).