Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT) Shares Purchased by Quadrature Capital Ltd

Quadrature Capital Ltd raised its position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT) by 229.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 49,743 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 34,659 shares during the period. Quadrature Capital Ltd’s holdings in Blackstone Mortgage Trust were worth $990,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in BXMT. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 35.9% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,096,198 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $23,316,000 after purchasing an additional 289,643 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,747,000. Cibc World Markets Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in the fourth quarter valued at $1,222,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 54.2% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 260,466 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $5,540,000 after buying an additional 91,526 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the first quarter worth about $1,069,000. 64.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Katharine A. Keenan sold 2,296 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.04, for a total transaction of $39,123.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 187,468 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,194,454.72. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CEO Katharine A. Keenan sold 4,508 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.53, for a total transaction of $79,025.24. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 182,960 shares in the company, valued at $3,207,288.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Katharine A. Keenan sold 2,296 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.04, for a total transaction of $39,123.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 187,468 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,194,454.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 11,057 shares of company stock worth $191,141. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Stock Performance

NYSE BXMT traded up $0.18 on Friday, reaching $17.59. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,717,489 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,478,844. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $17.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $18.89. The stock has a market cap of $3.05 billion, a PE ratio of 586.33 and a beta of 1.49. Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. has a twelve month low of $16.70 and a twelve month high of $23.82.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust (NYSE:BXMT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $466.15 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $131.87 million. Blackstone Mortgage Trust had a positive return on equity of 10.16% and a negative net margin of 7.98%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.75 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. will post 1.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th will be paid a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.69%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. Blackstone Mortgage Trust’s dividend payout ratio is 8,266.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BXMT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $18.00 price target on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $23.00 price target on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Blackstone Mortgage Trust has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $19.58.

About Blackstone Mortgage Trust

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.