GFS Advisors LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Starwood Property Trust, Inc. $STWD

GFS Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD) by 111.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 206,795 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 108,980 shares during the quarter. GFS Advisors LLC’s holdings in Starwood Property Trust were worth $3,724,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its stake in Starwood Property Trust by 106.1% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its position in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 154.4% during the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,496 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 908 shares in the last quarter. Jackson Grant Investment Advisers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Starwood Property Trust in the third quarter worth $30,000. 49.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Starwood Property Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:STWD opened at $17.16 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $6.36 billion, a PE ratio of 17.87, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.98. The company’s fifty day moving average is $17.54 and its 200 day moving average is $17.90. Starwood Property Trust, Inc. has a 52 week low of $16.76 and a 52 week high of $21.05. 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). Starwood Property Trust had a net margin of 18.11% and a return on equity of 7.91%. The business had revenue of $205.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $496.25 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.45 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 22.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Starwood Property Trust, Inc. will post 1.57 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Starwood Property Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.2%. Starwood Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 200.00%.

Insider Transactions at Starwood Property Trust

In other Starwood Property Trust news, Director Jeffrey G. Dishner sold 7,013 shares of Starwood Property Trust stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director directly owned 168,152 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,880,443.76. The trade was a 4.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 5.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on STWD shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Starwood Property Trust from $20.00 to $19.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Starwood Property Trust from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $19.00 price objective on shares of Starwood Property Trust in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Zacks Research cut Starwood Property Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Starwood Property Trust from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average 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.