XTX Topco Ltd Acquires Shares of 39,691 Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT)

XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 39,691 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $691,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 11,136 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $237,000 after purchasing an additional 727 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 66.4% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,183 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 871 shares during the period. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,465 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $180,000 after acquiring an additional 1,039 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 46,190 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $805,000 after acquiring an additional 1,206 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp acquired a new position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the second quarter worth $26,000. 64.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Stock Performance

NYSE:BXMT opened at $19.83 on Monday. Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. has a one year low of $16.53 and a one year high of $23.29. The stock has a market cap of $3.44 billion, a PE ratio of 661.00 and a beta of 1.49. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $18.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $18.36.

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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 last year, the company earned $0.75 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. will post 1.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, July 24th that permits the company to repurchase $150.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the real estate investment trust to buy up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.48%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. Blackstone Mortgage Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6,266.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Blackstone Mortgage Trust

In other news, Director Henry N. Nassau purchased 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $17.52 per share, for a total transaction of $175,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 165,557 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,900,558.64. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Blackstone Mortgage Trust news, Director Henry N. Nassau purchased 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $17.52 per share, for a total transaction of $175,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 165,557 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,900,558.64. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Katharine A. Keenan acquired 16,000 shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was bought at an average price of $17.16 per share, for a total transaction of $274,560.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 198,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,414,153.60. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have bought 83,050 shares of company stock worth $1,448,135 and have sold 1,495 shares worth $27,899. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BXMT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $18.00 price objective on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $23.00 target price on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a report on Friday, July 19th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $20.08.

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.