Virtu Financial LLC Takes Position in Starwood Property Trust, Inc. $STWD

Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 72,206 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $1,300,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Brown Advisory Inc. raised its stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 47,432 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $854,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 11.5% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 5,943 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $115,000 after buying an additional 613 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 27,220 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $527,000 after buying an additional 621 shares during the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 36,608 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $659,000 after buying an additional 631 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Global Trust Asset Management LLC now owns 8,625 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $155,000 after buying an additional 650 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 49.82% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Starwood Property Trust

In related news, Director Jeffrey G. Dishner sold 7,013 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.13, for a total value of $120,132.69. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 168,152 shares in the company, valued at $2,880,443.76. The trade was a 4.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 5.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Starwood Property Trust Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of STWD stock opened at $16.70 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $17.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $17.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.31. The company has a market capitalization of $6.19 billion, a PE ratio of 17.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.98. Starwood Property Trust, Inc. has a 12-month low of $16.61 and a 12-month high of $21.05.

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

Starwood Property Trust announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, February 26th that permits the company to buyback $400.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the real estate investment trust to reacquire up to 6.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Starwood Property Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Starwood Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 200.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on STWD shares. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $19.00 price target on shares of Starwood Property Trust in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Starwood Property Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of 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. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Starwood Property Trust from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of Starwood Property Trust from $20.00 to $19.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $19.70.

Starwood Property Trust Profile

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.