Van ECK Associates Corp Sells 15,115 Shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT)

Van ECK Associates Corp decreased its stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 808,820 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 15,115 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Blackstone Mortgage Trust were worth $14,082,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BXMT. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $63,000. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 39.3% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 7,601 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $132,000 after purchasing an additional 2,145 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust in the 4th quarter valued at $172,000. Finally, Wealthstar Advisors LLC bought a new position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the 4th quarter worth $178,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.15% of the company’s stock.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Trading Up 2.4 %

Shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust stock opened at $20.34 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.52 billion, a PE ratio of -14.64 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a 50 day moving average of $18.27 and a 200-day moving average of $18.39. Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. has a 1-year low of $16.53 and a 1-year high of $20.73.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust (NYSE:BXMT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.87) by $1.26. Blackstone Mortgage Trust had a positive return on equity of 9.35% and a negative net margin of 12.91%. Research analysts forecast that Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. will post 1.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. Blackstone Mortgage Trust’s payout ratio is -135.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on BXMT shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $18.50 to $19.50 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $18.50 to $17.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $20.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.29.

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.