Brokerages Set Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD) Target Price at $22.25

Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $22.25.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Starwood Property Trust from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $20.50 to $22.50 in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Starwood Property Trust from $19.50 to $20.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Starwood Property Trust from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Starwood Property Trust from $20.50 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, JMP Securities lowered their price objective on Starwood Property Trust from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 7th.

Starwood Property Trust Stock Performance

NYSE STWD opened at $19.39 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.61. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $19.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $19.82. The company has a market cap of $6.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.57 and a beta of 1.69. Starwood Property Trust has a 12-month low of $18.43 and a 12-month high of $22.29.

Starwood Property Trust (NYSE:STWD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $479.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $488.63 million. Starwood Property Trust had a return on equity of 9.93% and a net margin of 18.82%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.46 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Starwood Property Trust will post 1.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starwood Property Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. Starwood Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 164.10%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Starwood Property Trust

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Starwood Property Trust during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust in the third quarter valued at $34,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. acquired a new position in Starwood Property Trust during the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in Starwood Property Trust by 26.0% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,572 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 531 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.82% of the company’s stock.

About Starwood Property Trust

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.