Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Takes $1.74 Million Position in Starwood Property Trust, Inc. $STWD

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of Starwood Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:STWD) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 100,900 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $1,737,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Starwood Property Trust by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,406,419 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $115,453,000 after purchasing an additional 148,740 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Starwood Property Trust by 1.2% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,387,358 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $104,353,000 after buying an additional 64,178 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Starwood Property Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $75,177,000. Advisors Capital Management LLC increased its position in Starwood Property Trust by 157.3% in the 4th quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 3,702,935 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $66,690,000 after acquiring an additional 2,263,856 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its position in Starwood Property Trust by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,727,404 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $52,830,000 after acquiring an additional 12,262 shares during the period. 49.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Starwood Property Trust Price Performance

Shares of STWD opened at $16.36 on Thursday. Starwood Property Trust, Inc. has a twelve month low of $16.33 and a twelve month high of $21.05. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $17.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.07 billion, a PE ratio of 17.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.31.

Starwood Property Trust (NYSE:STWD) last issued its earnings results 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). The business 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 22.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.45 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Starwood Property Trust, Inc. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Starwood Property Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Starwood Property Trust’s payout ratio is presently 200.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on STWD shares. Bank of America reaffirmed 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 raised Starwood Property Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Starwood Property Trust from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 16th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Starwood Property Trust in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $20.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of 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. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $19.70.

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.