Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Takes Position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund acquired a new position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE:BXMT) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 108,501 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $2,308,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 35.9% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,096,198 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $23,316,000 after buying an additional 289,643 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky purchased a new stake in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the third quarter valued at about $1,136,000. Ibex Wealth Advisors bought a new position in Blackstone Mortgage Trust during the third quarter worth about $4,716,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 15.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,643,329 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $405,492,000 after purchasing an additional 2,470,412 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust by 124.8% in the third quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 78,673 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,711,000 after purchasing an additional 43,673 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.15% of the company’s stock.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Trading Down 3.3 %

Shares of NYSE:BXMT opened at $17.65 on Friday. Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. has a 12-month low of $16.83 and a 12-month high of $23.82. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $19.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $20.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 588.33 and a beta of 1.42.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 28th were given a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 14.05%. Blackstone Mortgage Trust’s payout ratio is 8,266.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Blackstone Mortgage Trust

In other news, CEO Katharine A. Keenan sold 2,274 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.42, for a total transaction of $46,435.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 194,298 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,967,565.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Katharine A. Keenan sold 2,275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.25, for a total transaction of $46,068.75. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 192,023 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,888,465.75. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Katharine A. Keenan sold 2,274 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.42, for a total value of $46,435.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 194,298 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,967,565.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 5,540 shares of company stock worth $112,642. 1.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Bank of America lowered shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $22.00 to $21.00 in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $21.00 to $20.50 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $18.50 to $17.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. BTIG Research lowered their price objective on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Blackstone Mortgage Trust from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Blackstone Mortgage Trust presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.29.

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.