1. Blackstone Mortgage Trust (BXMT) Q2 earnings exceeded estimates, and the director increased his stock ownership.

Blackstone Mortgage Trust (BXMT) director, Henry Nassau, purchased 10,000 shares at an average cost of $17.52, raising his direct ownership to 165,557 shares worth $2.9m. BXMT reported Q2 earnings of $0.51 EPS, surpassing the consensus estimate by $0.04, and announced a $0.47 quarterly dividend with a 10.74% yield. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.15% of BXMT's stock. Analysts have a consensus "hold" rating and an average price target of $19.58.