Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD) Short Interest Down 13.0% in January

Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD) was the target of a large decline in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 11,076,150 shares, a decline of 13.0% from the December 31st total of 12,737,185 shares. Currently, 3.2% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 4,250,428 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.6 days. Based on an average trading volume of 4,250,428 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.6 days. Currently, 3.2% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Starwood Property Trust Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of STWD traded up $0.24 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $18.07. The company had a trading volume of 487,058 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,715,376. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.23 and a beta of 1.13. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $18.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $18.97. Starwood Property Trust has a 52-week low of $16.59 and a 52-week high of $21.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.98, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.33.

Starwood Property Trust (NYSE:STWD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $247.87 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $479.70 million. Starwood Property Trust had a net margin of 20.28% and a return on equity of 8.41%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.48 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Starwood Property Trust will post 1.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Starwood Property Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.6%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. Starwood Property Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 182.86%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Starwood Property Trust

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of STWD. RFG Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 10.7% in the 4th quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 187,797 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,382,000 after buying an additional 18,121 shares during the last quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC purchased a new position in Starwood Property Trust in the fourth quarter worth about $204,000. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT grew its stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 9.9% during the 4th quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT now owns 11,212 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $202,000 after purchasing an additional 1,011 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 146,291 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,635,000 after purchasing an additional 12,973 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Truist Financial Corp lifted its stake in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 33,435 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $602,000 after purchasing an additional 2,365 shares during the period. 49.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on STWD. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Starwood Property Trust in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped 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 report on Wednesday, November 12th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Starwood Property Trust from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Starwood Property Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Starwood Property Trust currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $20.63.

Starwood Property Trust Company 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.