Starwood Property Trust (NYSE:STWD) Upgraded by Zacks Research to “Hold” Rating

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Starwood Property Trust (NYSE:STWD) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $19.00 target price on shares of Starwood Property Trust in a research report on Friday, March 6th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Starwood Property Trust in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $20.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Starwood Property Trust from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Starwood Property Trust from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Starwood Property Trust from $20.00 to $19.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $19.70.

Starwood Property Trust Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of Starwood Property Trust stock opened at $16.80 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $17.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.31, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The company has a market capitalization of $6.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.98. Starwood Property Trust has a 1 year low of $16.54 and a 1 year high of $21.05.

Starwood Property Trust (NYSE:STWD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 8th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.42 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $205.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $496.25 million. Starwood Property Trust had a net margin of 18.11% and a return on equity of 7.91%. Starwood Property Trust’s revenue was up 22.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.45 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Starwood Property Trust will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Starwood Property Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Starwood Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 200.00%.

Insider Transactions at Starwood Property Trust

In other news, Director Jeffrey G. Dishner sold 7,013 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.13, for a total value of $120,132.69. Following the transaction, the director owned 168,152 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,880,443.76. This represents a 4.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 5.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Starwood Property Trust

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quantum Portfolio Management LLC boosted its stake in Starwood Property Trust by 882,760.9% during the 1st quarter. Quantum Portfolio Management LLC now owns 112,176,302 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,931,676,000 after purchasing an additional 112,163,596 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Starwood Property Trust during the fourth quarter valued at $75,177,000. Advisors Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 157.3% during the fourth quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 3,702,935 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $66,690,000 after purchasing an additional 2,263,856 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust during the third quarter valued at $20,457,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 164,844.2% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 880,802 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $15,863,000 after buying an additional 880,268 shares during the last quarter. 49.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Starwood Property Trust

Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust that specializes in originating, acquiring and managing commercial mortgage loans and other real estate-related investments. The company’s portfolio spans a variety of asset classes, including senior mortgages, mezzanine debt, preferred equity and direct equity investments in commercial properties. By focusing on both debt and equity capital solutions, Starwood Property Trust seeks to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for its shareholders through a combination of current income and capital appreciation.

Operating primarily in the United States, Starwood Property Trust deploys capital across a broad range of property types, such as multifamily residential, office, retail, hotel and industrial.