Xponance Inc. Boosts Stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT)

Xponance Inc. increased its position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT) by 10.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,552 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,160 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Blackstone Mortgage Trust were worth $219,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 125.7% during the fourth 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 during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC bought a new position in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in the 3rd quarter worth about $63,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 114.4% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 7,003 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $122,000 after acquiring an additional 3,736 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 worth $132,000 after acquiring an additional 2,145 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 1,416.7% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 9,631 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $168,000 after purchasing an additional 8,996 shares during the period. 64.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of BXMT stock opened at $19.86 on Friday. Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. has a 12-month low of $16.53 and a 12-month high of $21.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.41 billion, a P/E ratio of -16.97 and a beta of 1.52. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $19.65 and its 200 day moving average is $18.93.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust (NYSE:BXMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts predict that Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. will post 1.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Blackstone Mortgage Trust’s payout ratio is currently -160.68%.

Insider Transactions at Blackstone Mortgage Trust

In related news, CEO Katharine A. Keenan sold 2,315 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders have sold 5,652 shares of company stock worth $116,971 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on BXMT shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $18.50 to $19.50 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $18.50 to $19.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $20.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $17.50 to $20.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.67.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Company 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.