Starwood Property Trust (NYSE:STWD) Sets New 12-Month Low – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD) reached a new 52-week low on Friday . The company traded as low as $18.41 and last traded at $18.52, with a volume of 436327 shares. The stock had previously closed at $18.81.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on STWD shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Starwood Property Trust from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Starwood Property Trust from $19.50 to $20.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. JMP Securities cut their target price on Starwood Property Trust from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Starwood Property Trust from $20.50 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $22.25.

Starwood Property Trust Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.61, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $19.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.82. The firm has a market cap of $6.21 billion, a PE ratio of 15.74 and a beta of 1.69.

Starwood Property Trust (NYSE:STWD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.05. Starwood Property Trust had a net margin of 18.82% and a return on equity of 9.93%. The company had revenue of $479.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $488.63 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.46 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Starwood Property Trust, Inc. will post 1.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Starwood Property Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.42%. Starwood Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 164.10%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Starwood Property Trust

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in STWD. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,345,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $108,960,000 after buying an additional 399,672 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 5.8% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,109,988 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $43,002,000 after purchasing an additional 116,182 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,725,473 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $35,170,000 after purchasing an additional 150,576 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 27.1% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,313,824 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,106,000 after purchasing an additional 279,793 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates lifted its stake in Starwood Property Trust by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 1,090,325 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $22,221,000 after buying an additional 6,616 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.