Blackstone Mortgage Trust Co. stock fell nearly 5% Wednesday as it swung to a fourth-quarter loss while hiking reserves for potential credit losses, but its distributable earnings beat estimates.
Blackstone Mortgage Trust
BXMT,
reported a net loss of $47.54 million, or 28 cents a share in the three months ended Dec. 31, after it earned $123.94 million, or 76 cents a share, in the year-ago quarter. The stock dropped 4.8% on Wednesday, but is up 8.6% in 2023, compared to an 8.2% rise by the S&P 500
SPX,
Blackstone Inc.
BX,
stock rose 0.1%.
Distributable earnings rose to 87 cents a share in the fourth quarter from 78 cents a share in the year-ago period, and ahead of the analyst estimate of 72 cents a share, according to FactSet data.
The commercial-real-estate finance company and senior loan originator’s loss stemmed from a $189 million buildup of its expected credit loss reserve, up from less than $10 million in the year-ago quarter.
The figure reflects more challenging economic conditions compared to a year ago, as the commercial real estate sector faces potential headwinds.
At the same time, the firm benefitted from rising interest rates on its floating-rate loan portfolio.
With a $26.8 billion portfolio of senior loans secured by institutional real estate, Blackstone Mortgage Trust said it shifted its new loan originations in the second half of 2022 to focus on inflation-resistant sectors in the industrial and multifamily markets.
Blackstone Inc., which has a real estate portfolio of $326 billion, is the sponsor of Blackstone Mortgage Trust.
Blackstone also controls Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust Fund, or B-Reit, which has been under scrutiny as investors stepped up cash redemptions from its $69 billion Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust Fund, or B-Reit late last year.
Also Read: Blackstone draws upgrade on recession readiness despite jitters around real estate fund
Credit: marketwatch.com