Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the seven research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $21.71.

Several research analysts have commented on STWD shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Starwood Property Trust from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $21.50 price objective (down previously from $22.50) on shares of Starwood Property Trust in a research note on Monday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Starwood Property Trust from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on Starwood Property Trust from $21.00 to $20.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, BTIG Research reduced their price objective on Starwood Property Trust from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th.

Starwood Property Trust Price Performance

Shares of STWD stock opened at $19.56 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $19.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $19.98. The company has a market cap of $6.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.28 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95. Starwood Property Trust has a twelve month low of $16.08 and a twelve month high of $22.29.

Starwood Property Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 29th were given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.82%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. Starwood Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 179.44%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, President Jeffrey F. Dimodica sold 100,000 shares of Starwood Property Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.28, for a total value of $2,028,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 1,226,673 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,876,928.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 5.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Starwood Property Trust

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of STWD. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Starwood Property Trust during the 4th quarter worth about $62,447,000. J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Starwood Property Trust by 84.8% in the third quarter. J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,941,284 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $56,914,000 after purchasing an additional 1,349,284 shares in the last quarter. Waterfront Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Starwood Property Trust in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $15,997,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 26.7% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,121,335 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $60,398,000 after buying an additional 657,180 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NFC Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust during the 4th quarter worth approximately $13,237,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.82% of the company’s stock.

Starwood Property Trust Company Profile

Starwood Property Trust, Inc operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Commercial and Residential Lending, Infrastructure Lending, Property, and Investing and Servicing segments. The Commercial and Residential Lending segment originates, acquires, finances, and manages commercial first mortgages, non-agency residential mortgages, subordinated mortgages, mezzanine loans, preferred equity, commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), and residential mortgage-backed securities, as well as other real estate and real estate-related debt investments, include distressed or non-performing loans.