Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the seven analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $19.70.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on STWD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Starwood Property Trust from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 16th. 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. Zacks Research cut shares of Starwood Property Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $19.00 price target on shares of Starwood Property Trust in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Starwood Property Trust from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 26th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Starwood Property Trust news, Director Jeffrey G. Dishner sold 7,013 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.13, for a total transaction of $120,132.69. Following the transaction, the director directly 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 can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 5.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in Starwood Property Trust by 106.1% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,449 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 746 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its position in Starwood Property Trust by 154.4% during the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,496 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 908 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Starwood Property Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Jackson Grant Investment Advisers Inc. acquired a new position in Starwood Property Trust during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Starwood Property Trust during the third quarter worth about $30,000. 49.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Starwood Property Trust Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE STWD opened at $16.97 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.98. Starwood Property Trust has a 52-week low of $16.76 and a 52-week high of $21.05. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $17.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.31.

Starwood Property Trust (NYSE:STWD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.42 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $205.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $496.25 million. Starwood Property Trust had a return on equity of 7.91% and a net margin of 18.11%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.45 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Starwood Property Trust will post 1.57 EPS for the current year.

Starwood Property Trust declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $400.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the real estate investment trust to repurchase up to 6.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.