Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 319,319 Shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT)

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 18,324,010 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 319,319 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 0.11% of Blackstone Mortgage Trust worth $389,752,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Central Bank & Trust Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, Sandy Spring Bank grew its stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 10,652.0% during the fourth quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 2,688 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 2,663 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.15% of the company’s stock.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Trading Down 1.6 %

Blackstone Mortgage Trust stock opened at $17.90 on Friday. Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. has a 12 month low of $16.70 and a 12 month high of $23.82. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $17.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $19.45. The firm has a market cap of $3.11 billion, a PE ratio of 596.67 and a beta of 1.47.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 28th will be given a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 28th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 13.85%. Blackstone Mortgage Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8,266.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on BXMT shares. Bank of America lowered Blackstone Mortgage Trust from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $22.00 to $21.00 in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $18.00 target price on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $19.93.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Blackstone Mortgage Trust news, CEO Katharine A. Keenan sold 4,508 shares of the company’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 value of $79,025.24. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 182,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,207,288.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CEO Katharine A. Keenan sold 2,296 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 187,468 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,194,454.72. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Katharine A. Keenan sold 4,508 shares of the company’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 value of $79,025.24. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 182,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,207,288.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, 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 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.