Starwood Property Trust (NYSE:STWD) Hits New 1-Year Low – Here’s What Happened

Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD)’s share price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday. The company traded as low as $14.15 and last traded at $14.3250, with a volume of 5929577 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.36.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on STWD. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Starwood Property Trust in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Zacks Research raised shares of Starwood Property Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Starwood Property Trust from $19.00 to $18.50 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered Starwood Property Trust from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $20.00 target price on Starwood Property Trust in a report on Monday, August 17th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $19.20.

Starwood Property Trust Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $5.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.95, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $15.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $16.74.

Starwood Property Trust (NYSE:STWD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40. The business had revenue of $201.42 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $521.67 million. Starwood Property Trust had a net margin of 11.35% and a return on equity of 7.85%. The company’s revenue was up 15.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.43 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Starwood Property Trust, Inc. will post 1.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Starwood Property Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be paid a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 14.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. Starwood Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 325.42%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Starwood Property Trust

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Starwood Property Trust by 293.2% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,954 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,457 shares in the last quarter. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Starwood Property Trust during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Bullseye Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust in the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its holdings in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 66.6% in the first quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 2,493 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 997 shares during the period. Finally, North Star Investment Management Corp. lifted its holdings in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 1,605.0% in the first quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 3,410 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 3,210 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 49.82% of the company’s stock.

About Starwood Property Trust

Starwood Property Trust, Inc (NYSE: STWD) is a real estate investment trust focused on commercial real estate finance. The company originates, acquires, finances and manages a range of real estate debt investments, including senior and subordinate mortgages, mezzanine loans, and other credit investments secured by commercial properties.

Its business also includes commercial real estate lending and servicing, residential lending, and infrastructure lending. Through these activities, Starwood Property Trust provides financing to property owners, developers and other real estate participants across multiple property types, including office, multifamily, industrial, hospitality and other commercial assets.

Founded in 2009, the company operates primarily in the United States and has also pursued lending and investment opportunities in Europe and other select international markets.