10. EQUITY

Stock and Stock Equivalents

Authorized Capital

As of September 30, 2016, we had the authority to issue up to 300,000,000 shares of stock, consisting of 200,000,000 shares of class A common stock and 100,000,000 shares of preferred stock. Subject to applicable NYSE listing requirements, our board of directors is authorized to cause us to issue additional shares of authorized stock without stockholder approval. In addition, to the extent not issued, currently authorized stock may be reclassified between class A common stock and preferred stock. We did not have any shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2016.

Class A Common Stock and Deferred Stock Units

Holders of shares of our class A common stock are entitled to vote on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders and are entitled to receive such dividends as may be authorized by our board of directors and declared by us, in all cases subject to the rights of the holders of shares of outstanding preferred stock, if any.

We also issue restricted class A common stock under our stock-based incentive plans. Refer to Note 13 for additional discussion of these long-term incentive plans. In addition to our class A common stock, we also issue deferred stock units to certain members of our board of directors in lieu of cash compensation for services rendered. These deferred stock units are non-voting, but carry the right to receive dividends in the form of additional deferred stock units in an amount equivalent to the cash dividends paid to holders of shares of class A common stock.

The following table details the movement in our outstanding shares of class A common stock, including restricted class A common stock and deferred stock units:


	Nine Months Ended September 30,
Common Stock Outstanding⁽¹⁾	2016		2015
Beginning balance		93,843,847		58,388,808
Issuance of class A common stock		812		34,780,443
Issuance of restricted class A common stock, net		209,798		162,531
Issuance of deferred stock units		20,850		16,288

Ending balance		94,075,307		93,348,070

(1)

Deferred stock units held by members of our board of directors totaled 162,371 and 135,207 as of September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Dividend Reinvestment and Direct Stock Purchase Plan

On March 25, 2014, we adopted a dividend reinvestment and direct stock purchase plan, under which we registered and reserved for issuance, in the aggregate, 10,000,000 shares of class A common stock. Under the dividend reinvestment component of this plan, our class A common stockholders can designate all or a portion of their cash dividends to be reinvested in additional shares of class A common stock. The direct stock purchase component allows stockholders and new investors, subject to our approval, to purchase shares of class A common stock directly from us. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, we issued 262 shares and 812 shares, respectively, of class A common stock under the dividend reinvestment component of the plan compared to 145 shares and 418 shares for the same periods in 2015. As of September 30, 2016, a total of 9,998,585 shares of class A common stock remained available for issuance under the dividend reinvestment and direct stock purchase plan.

At the Market Stock Offering Program

On May 9, 2014, we entered into equity distribution agreements, or ATM Agreements, pursuant to which we may sell, from time to time, up to an aggregate sales price of $200.0 million of our class A common stock. On July 29, 2016, in connection with filing a new universal shelf registration statement on Form S-3, we entered into amendments to each of the ATM Agreements. Sales of class A common stock made pursuant to the ATM Agreements may be made in negotiated transactions or transactions that are deemed to be “at the market” offerings as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Actual sales will depend on a variety of factors including market conditions, the trading price of our class A common stock, our capital needs, and our determination of the appropriate sources of funding to meet such needs. We did not sell any shares of our class A common stock under the ATM Agreements during the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015. As of September 30, 2016, sales of our class A common stock with an aggregate sales price of $188.6 million remained available for issuance under the ATM Agreements.

Dividends

We generally intend to distribute substantially all of our taxable income, which does not necessarily equal net income as calculated in accordance with GAAP, to our stockholders each year to comply with the REIT provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Internal Revenue Code. Our dividend policy remains subject to revision at the discretion of our board of directors. All distributions will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon our taxable income, our financial condition, our maintenance of REIT status, applicable law, and other factors as our board of directors deems relevant.

On September 13, 2016, we declared a dividend of $0.62 per share, or $58.2 million, that was paid on October 14, 2016 to stockholders of record as of September 30, 2016. The following table details our dividend activity ($ in thousands, except per share data):


	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016		2015		2016		2015
Dividends declared per share of common stock	$	0.62	$	0.62	$	1.86	$	1.66
Total dividends declared	$	58,226	$	57,800	$	174,678	$	136,674

Earnings Per Share

We calculate our basic and diluted earnings per share using the two-class method for all periods presented as the unvested shares of our restricted class A common stock qualify as participating securities, as defined by GAAP. These restricted shares have the same rights as our other shares of class A common stock, including participating in any dividends, and therefore have been included in our basic and diluted net income per share calculation. Our Convertible Notes are excluded from dilutive earnings per share as we have the intent and ability to settle these instruments in cash.

The following table sets forth the calculation of basic and diluted net income per share of class A common stock based on the weighted-average of both restricted and unrestricted class A common stock outstanding ($ in thousands, except per share data):


	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016		2015		2016		2015
Net income⁽¹⁾	$	64,794	$	66,888	$	184,921	$	131,564
Weighted-average shares outstanding, basic and diluted		94,071,537		93,357,960		94,067,923		77,752,247

Per share amount, basic and diluted	$	0.69	$	0.72	$	1.97	$	1.69

(1)	Represents net income attributable to Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc.

Other Balance Sheet Items

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss

As of September 30, 2016, total accumulated other comprehensive loss was $46.4 million, primarily representing (i) $83.3 million of cumulative unrealized currency translation adjustments on assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies and (ii) offsetting $36.9 million realized and unrealized gains related to changes in the fair value of derivative instruments. As of December 31, 2015, total accumulated other comprehensive loss was $32.8 million, primarily representing (i) $57.8 million of cumulative unrealized currency translation adjustment on assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies and (ii) an offsetting $25.0 million unrealized gain related to changes in the fair value of derivative instruments.

Non-Controlling Interests

The non-controlling interests included on our consolidated balance sheets represent the equity interests in CT Legacy Partners that are not owned by us. A portion of CT Legacy Partners’ consolidated equity and results of operations are allocated to these non-controlling interests based on their pro rata ownership of CT Legacy Partners. As of September 30, 2016, CT Legacy Partners’ total equity was $1.9 million, of which $786,000 was owned by Blackstone Mortgage Trust, and $1.1 million was allocated to non-controlling interests. As of December 31, 2015, CT Legacy Partners’ total equity was $22.5 million, of which $9.4 million was owned by Blackstone Mortgage Trust, and $13.1 million was allocated to non-controlling interests.